TOUCHSCREEN GESTURES FOR SELECTING A GRAPHICAL OBJECT

• US 20130167062A1
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Herring, Dean F., Johnson, Brad M., Rodriguez, Adrian X., Smith, Jeffrey J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,524,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A two-finger selection method is implemented on a touchscreen of an electronic device. One embodiment involves sensing the touch positions of two fingers on the touchscreen. In response to sensing the two simultaneous touch positions, a selection graphic is displayed and dynamically positioned on the touchscreen as a function of the two touch positions. A specific graphical object, such as a command button having an associated function, is selected in response to a separate selection input received while the selection graphic is positioned on the specific graphical object.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

sensing a simultaneous touching of the touchscreen by first and second fingers and dynamically determining touch positions of the two fingers;

displaying a selection graphic on the touchscreen and dynamically positioning the selection graphic as a function of the two touch positions in response to a movement of one or both touch positions; and

automatically selecting a specific graphical object in response to a separate selection input received while the selection graphic is positioned on the specific graphical object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing a command function associated with the specific graphical object in response to selecting the specific graphical object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of dynamically positioning the selection graphic as a function of the two touch positions comprises:

positioning the selection graphic on the touchscreen equidistant from the two touch positions.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

positioning the selection graphic on the touchscreen at a midpoint between the two touch positions.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

positioning the selection graphic on the touchscreen at a position offset from a midpoint between the two touch positions.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

interpreting a movement of the two fingers toward one another above a threshold speed as the separate selection input.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

interpreting a movement of the two fingers toward one another to less than a threshold distance apart as the separate selection input.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

interpreting a removal of the first finger from the touchscreen and another touch within a predefined radius of the second finger while the second finger remains in contact with the touchscreen as the separate selection input.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing the step of displaying the selection graphic on the touchscreen only during periods when a pre-specified dot display precondition is present; and

during periods when the pre-specified dot display precondition is not present, performing a zoom function in response to the movement of one or both touch positions.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the dot display precondition comprises the pressing of a keyboard button prior to sensing the simultaneous touching of the display area by the first and second fingers.

11. A computer program product including computer usable program code embodied on a computer usable storage medium, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code for sensing a simultaneous touching of the touchscreen by first and second fingers and dynamically determining touch positions of the two fingers;

computer usable program code for displaying a selection graphic on the touchscreen and dynamically positioning the selection graphic as a function of the two touch positions in response to a movement of one or both touch positions; and

computer usable program code for automatically selecting a specific graphical object in response to a separate selection input received while the selection graphic is positioned on the specific graphical object.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for executing a command function associated with the specific graphical object in response to selecting the specific graphical object.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the computer usable program code for dynamically positioning the selection graphic as a function of the two touch positions comprises:

computer usable program code for positioning the selection graphic on the touchscreen equidistant from the two touch positions.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

computer usable program code for positioning the selection graphic on the touchscreen at a midpoint between the two touch positions.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

computer usable program code for positioning the selection graphic on the touchscreen at a position offset from a midpoint between the two touch positions.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for interpreting a movement of the two fingers toward one another above a threshold speed as the separate selection input.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for interpreting a movement of the two fingers toward one another to less than a threshold distance apart as the separate selection input.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for interpreting a removal of the first finger from the touchscreen and another touch within a predefined radius of the second finger while the second finger remains in contact with the touchscreen as the separate selection input.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable program code for performing the step of displaying the selection graphic on the touchscreen only during periods when a pre-specified dot display precondition is present; and

computer usable program code for performing a zoom function in response to the movement of one or both touch positions during periods when the pre-specified dot display precondition is not present.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the dot display precondition comprises the pressing of a keyboard button prior to sensing the simultaneous touching of the display area by the first and second fingers.