Pinch Gestures in a Tile-Based User Interface

• US 20150007099A1
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Successfactors Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Successfactors Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Bernaudin, Ingrid, Hsia, David, Koon, Derrick, Das, Animesh, Zyskiewicz, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 10,775,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/783
• 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 3/0481 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• 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

A tile-based user interface (UI) may be presented on a display device in tile view in full-screen view. The underlying application is active whether the UI is in tile view or in full-screen view, and may generate data that can be presented via the UI. In tile view, the UI may present abbreviated representations of information generated by the underlying application. In full-screen view, the UI may present detailed representations of information, including graphical UI elements and data elements that were not presented in the tile view UI.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying a plurality of tiles in a display area of an output device of a computer, including displaying a first tile in the display area, the first tile presenting therein a tile view of a UI of an application associated with the first tile, wherein the UI presents an abbreviated representation of information produced by the application;

receiving first user input directed to the first tile;

in response to the first user input, displaying in the display area an animation of the first tile expanding in size, wherein, upon completion of the animation, the first tile occupies substantially all of the display area and presents therein a full-screen view of the UI; and

presenting in the full-screen view of the UI a detailed representation of information produced by the application, the detailed representation of information being different from the abbreviated representation of information presented in the tile view of the UI.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving an abbreviated representation of information from the application associated with the first tile and presenting the abbreviated representation of information in the tile view of the UI.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting the UI in full-screen view includes displaying data elements that are not abbreviated representations of the information produced by the application.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting the UI in full-screen view includes providing access to more functionality of the application than the UI in tile view.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting the UI in full-screen view includes graphical UI (GUI) elements that are different from GUI elements comprising the UI in tile view.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the animation of the first tile expanding in size comprises replacing the tile view UI with an image of a full-screen UI scaled down to a size of the first tile, and expanding a size of the image of the full-screen UI to occupy substantially all of the display area.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the animation of the first tile expanding in size begins at a location of the first tile so as to provide a visual cue to the user as to which tile among the plurality of tiles is expanding.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein sides of the first tile move toward respective sides of the display area and reach the respective sides of the display area at substantially the same time.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the sides of the first tile move toward the respective sides of the display area at a speed as to be visually perceptible to the user.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein an aspect ratio of the UI in tile view is different from an aspect ratio of the UI in full-screen view.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving actionable user input directed to the tile view of the UI presented in the first tile; and

updating the tile view of the UI presented in the first tile with new information produced by the application responsive to the actionable user input.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving second user input directed to the first tile;

in response to the second user input, displaying in the display area an animation of the first tile reducing in size, including replacing the full-screen view of the UI with the tile view of the first UI, wherein upon completion of the animation, the first tile appears in the display area at its location during a time when the first user input was received.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the first user input is a pinch gesture.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the output device includes a touch sensitive input component.

15. A computing device comprising:

a processor;

an output device; and

a data storage device having stored thereon program code, which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to;

display a plurality of tiles in a display area of the output device, including a first tile presenting therein a tile view of a UI of an application associated with the first tile, wherein the UI presents an abbreviated representation of information produced by the application;

receive first user input directed to the first tile;

in response to the first user input, display in the display area an animation of the first tile expanding in size, wherein, upon completion of the animation, the first tile occupies substantially all of the display area and presents therein a full-screen view of the UI; and

present in the full-screen view of the UI a detailed representation of information produced by the application, the detailed representation of information being different from the abbreviated representation of information presented in the tile view of the UI.

16. The computing device of claim 15 wherein the full-screen view of the UI comprises graphical UI (GUI) elements that are different from GUI elements comprising the UI in tile view and provides access to more functionality of the application than the UI in tile view.

17. The computing device of claim 15 wherein the program code, which, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to:

receive actionable user input directed to the tile view of the UI presented in the first tile; and

update the tile view of the UI presented in the first tile with new information produced by the application responsive to the actionable user input.

18. The computing device of claim 15 wherein the output device includes a touch sensitive input component.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program code, which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform steps of:

displaying a plurality of tiles in a display area of an output device of a computer, including displaying a first tile in the display area, the first tile presenting therein a tile view of a UI of an application associated with the first tile, wherein the UI presents an abbreviated representation of information produced by the application;

receiving first user input directed to the first tile;

in response to the first user input, displaying in the display area an animation of the first tile expanding in size, wherein, upon completion of the animation, the first tile occupies substantially all of the display area and presents therein a full-screen view of the UI; and

presenting in the full-screen view of the UI a detailed representation of information produced by the application, the detailed representation of information being different from the abbreviated representation of information presented in the tile view of the UI.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19,

wherein the UI in full-screen view includes graphical UI (GUI) elements that are different from GUI elements comprising the UI in tile view,

wherein the program code, which, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to provide access to more functionality of the application than the UI in tile view.