Multi-Input Rearrange

• US 20130067392A1
• Filed: 09/12/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Leonard, Chantal M., Deutsch, Rebecca, Whytock, John C., Markiewicz, Jan-Kristian
• Application Number:
  US13/229,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20130067392A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/784
• 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 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• 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

Multi-input rearrange techniques are described in which multiple inputs are used to rearrange items within navigable content of a computing device. Objects can be selected by first input, which causes the objects to remain visually available within a viewing pane as content is navigated through the viewing pane. In other words, objects are “picked-up” and held within the visible region of a user interface as long as the first input continues. Additional input to navigate content can be used to rearrange selected objects, such as by moving the object to a different file folder, attaching the objects to a message, and so forth. In one approach, one hand can be used for a first gesture to pick-up an object and another hand can be used for gestures/input to navigate content while the picked-up object is being “held” by continued application of the first gesture.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computing device comprising:

detecting first input to pick-up one or more objects presented within a viewing pane of a user interface for the computing device;

receiving additional input to manipulate the viewing pane to navigate content available via the computing device;

displaying the one or more objects within the viewing pane during manipulation of the viewing pane to navigate content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more objects are displayed within the viewing pane based upon continued application of the first input including when content locations in which the one or more objects initially appear become hidden due to the manipulation of the viewing pane.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining when the one or more objects are dropped at a destination position; and

rearranging the one or more objects within content associated with the destination position.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first input and the additional input comprise a combination of one or more gestures applied to a touchscreen of the computing device and input provided via one or more input devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first input comprises a grasping gesture applied to representations of the one or more objects via a touchscreen of the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more objects comprise files arranged within a collection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional input comprises a swiping gesture applied to a touchscreen of the computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first input and the additional input comprise gestures applied separately to a touchscreen of the computing device by different hands.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional input to manipulate the viewing pane includes selection of a destination location within a collection of content to which the one or more objects are to be rearranged.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional input to manipulate the viewing pane includes selection of a file system folder within which the one or more objects are to be rearranged.

11. One or more computer readable storage media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, implement a gesture module to perform operations comprising:

recognizing a first gesture applied to pick-up one or more objects presented within a viewing pane of a user interface for a computing device;

in response to the first gesture, causing the one or more objects to remain visually available within the viewing pane during navigation of content through the viewing pane to rearrange the one or more objects as long as the first gesture is applied;

detecting additional input to navigate to a destination location for the one or more objects;

in response to the additional input, navigating to the destination location while keeping the one or more objects visually available within the viewing pane;

determining when the first gesture is concluded to drop the one or more objects at the destination location; and

when the first gesture is concluded, rearranging the one or more objects within content at the destination location.

12. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the first gesture is applied to a touchscreen of the computing device by one hand and the additional input includes a gesture applied to the touchscreen by another hand.

13. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 11, wherein:

the first gesture is applied to representations of the one or more objects via a touchscreen of the computing device; and

the second input includes navigational input to scroll the content through viewing pane provided via an input device.

14. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the first gesture is applied to pick-up multiple objects for rearrangement to the destination location as a group.

15. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 11, wherein keeping the one or more objects visually available comprises connecting the one or more objects to the viewing pane in a visible position as different content passes through viewing pane to reach the destination location.

16. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform operations for rearrangement of an object including;

detecting a first gesture to select the object from a first view of navigable content presented in a viewing pane of a user interface for the computing device;

navigating to a target view of the navigable content responsive to a second gesture while continuing to present the selected object in the viewing pane according to the first gesture; and

rearranging the object within content associated with the target view responsive to conclusion of the first gesture.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the operations for rearrangement of the object include detecting the first gesture and the second gesture as input applied to a touchscreen display coupled to the computing device upon which the user interface is presented.

18. The computing device m of claim 16, wherein:

the first gesture comprises pressing and holding a finger to the object on a touchscreen display upon which the user interface is presented; and

the first gesture is maintained during the navigating by continued contact of the finger to the object on the touchscreen as content presented within the viewing pane changes.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the second gesture includes a swiping gesture applied to a touchscreen upon which the user interface is presented to cause different content to pass through the viewing pane.

20. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the second gesture includes one or more of panning, scrolling, a menu selection, or a folder selection to navigate to the target view.