Method for deleting objects on a computer display

• US 5,602,570 A
• Filed: 05/31/1995
• Issued: 02/11/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ernest H. Beernink, Stephen P. Capps
• Inventors: Capps, Stephen P., Beernink, Ernest H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAO, LUNYI
• Application Number:
  US08/456,242
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/179, 345/180, 345/182, 345/174-176, 345/901, 178/18, 178/19, 382/181, 382/186, 382/188, 382/187, 382/309, 382/310, 382/313, 382/314, 382/315, 382/316, 382/189
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/333 Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/36 Matching; Classification

Abstract

A method for deleting objects displayed on the screen of a display assembly of a pointer based computer system is described. The method includes the steps of detecting a pointer created stroke and processing the stroke for gesture recognition. Thereafter, the processed stroke is checked to determine whether it meets the path definition requirements of a scrub gesture. In another step, a determination is made as to whether an object displayed on the screen has been selected. If an object is selected and the processed stroke meets the requirements of a scrub gesture, the selected object is deleted. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the selected object determining step includes the substep of determining whether any objects were preselected at the time the scrub gesture was made. When no suitable objects are preselected, a determination is made as to whether the scrub gesture substantially overlaps a displayed object. If a displayed object is substantially overlapped, it is selected for deletion. In another preferred embodiment, the scrub gesture determining step includes the substep of determining whether the number of times that the processed stroke changes the direction of its turn angles exceeds a predetermined number, wherein the stroke will not be considered a scrub gesture unless the predetermined number of direction changes is exceeded. In yet another preferred aspect of the invention, the stroke processing step includes the substeps of defining a multiplicity of corners in the stroke, removing selected corners that are associated with segments that are shorter than a designated length, and removing selected corners that have an associated turn angle that is less than a predetermined angle.

Claims

1. A method of deleting information displayed on a screen associated with a computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a pointer created stroke input onto the display screen, the stroke being defined as a series of points;

processing the stroke for scrub gesture recognition, the stroke processing steps including substeps of defining a multiplicity of corners in the stroke, removing selected corners that have an associated turn angle that is less than a predetermined angle, and removing selected corners that are associated with segments that are shorter than a designed length;

determining whether the processed stroke meets path definition requirements of a scrub gesture based upon characteristics of the processed stroke itself and without comparing the processed stroke to stored stroke objects;

determining whether an object displayed on the screen is selected when the stroke is determined to meet the path definition requirements of a scrub gesture; and

deleting the selected object if the processed stroke meets the requirements of a scrub gesture and an object is selected for deletion.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the corner defining step includes an Iterative End-Point Fits Process.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the short segment corner removing step requires that when the distance between adjacent corners is less than the designated length, one of the corners associated with the short line segment will be eliminated.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein when a corner associated with a short segment is to be eliminated, the corner having a smaller turn angle associated therewith will be eliminated.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the scrub gesture determining step includes the step of determining whether the processed stroke is a caret gesture.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the scrub gesture determining step includes the step of determining whether the processed stroke is a caret with a trailing line gesture.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the scrub gesture determining step includes the step of determining whether the processed stroke is a line gesture.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected object determining step includes the step of determining whether the scrub gesture substantially overlaps a displayed object wherein the object that is substantially overlapped is selected for deletion.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selected object determining step includes the step of determining whether any objects were selected at the time the scrub gesture was made.

10. A method of deleting information displayed on a screen associated with a computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a pointer created stroke input to the computer system;

processing the stroke for scrub gesture recognition;

determining whether the processed stroke meets path definition requirements of a scrub gesture based upon characteristics of the processed stroke itself and without comparing the processed stroke to stored stroke objects;

determining whether an object displayed on the screen is selected at the time that a scrub gesture is made, the selected object determining step including at least one of substeps of,

a) determining whether an object that is in close proximity to the pointer created stroke was preselected at the time the scrub gesture was made and when such a preselected object is identified, the preselected object is considered to be a selected object, and

b) determining whether the scrub gesture substantially overlaps a displayed object wherein when substantial overlap of an object is determined, the object that is substantially overlapped is considered to be a selected object, and

c) wherein it is determined that no object displayed on the screen is selected at the time that a scrub gesture is made only when both of substeps (a) and (b) are determined negatively; and

deleting the selected object if the processed stroke meets the requirements of a scrub gesture and an object is determined to be selected.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein in the overlap detecting step, the area of a first bounding box that encompasses the stroke is compared to the area of a second bounding box that encompasses a specific object, and the stroke is considered to substantially overlap an object if the bounding box of the stroke covers more than a predetermined percentage of the bounding box of the object.

12. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein in the overlap detecting step, the area of a first rectilinear bounding box that encompasses the stroke is compared to the area of a second rectilinear bounding box that encompasses a specific object, and the stroke is considered to substantially overlap an object if the bounding box of the object covers more than a predetermined percentage of the bounding box of the stroke.

13. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein in the overlap detecting step, objects displayed on the screen are checked in descending order of priority, wherein if an object on a given level of priority is determined to be substantially overlapped, objects having lower levels of priority will not be checked for substantial overlap.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein when an object on a given level of priority is determined to be substantially overlapped, other objects on the same level of priority will also be checked for substantial overlap.

15. A method of deleting information displayed on a screen associated with a computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a pointer created stroke input onto the screen;

processing the stroke for scrub gesture recognition;

determining whether the processed stroke meets path definition requirements of a scrub gesture, the scrub gesture determining step includes substep of determining whether the number of times that the processed stroke changes the direction of its turn angles exceeds a predetermined number, wherein the stroke will not be considered a scrub gesture unless the predetermined number of direction changes is exceeded and wherein the predetermined number is at least three;

determining whether an object displayed on the screen is selected when a stroke that meets the path definition requirement of a scrub gesture is identified; and

deleting the selected object if the processed stroke meets the requirements of a scrub gesture and an object is selected.

16. A method of deleting information displayed on a screen associated with a computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a pointer created stroke;

processing the stroke for scrub gesture recognition, the stroke processing step including substeps of defining a multiplicity of corners in the stroke, removing selected corners that are associated with segments that are shorter than a designated length, and removing selected corners that have an associated turn angle that is less than a predetermined angle;

determining whether the processed stroke meets path definition requirements of a scrub gesture, wherein the scrub gesture determining step includes the substeps of,

determining whether the number of times that the processed stroke changes the direction of its turn angles exceeds a predetermined number, wherein the stroke will not be considered a scrub gesture unless the predetermined number of direction changes is exceeded and wherein the predetermined number is at least three, and

adding the sum of the turn angles of all of sequential corners that turn in the same direction and checking to determine whether any of the sums of the turn angles of all of the sequential corners that turn in the same direction exceed a predetermined total angle that is no more than approximately 180 degrees, wherein the stroke will not be considered a scrub gesture when the predetermined total angle is exceeded;

determining whether an object displayed on the screen is one of;

preselected before the pointer created stroke is detected and located in close proximity to the pointer created stroke;

or

selected by the pointer created stroke through overlapping; and

deleting the selected or preselected object if the processed stroke meets the requirements of a scrub gesture and an object is selected.

17. A method of deleting information displayed on a screen associated with a computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a pointer created stroke input onto the screen;

processing the stroke for scrub gesture recognition, the stroke processing step including substeps of defining a multiplicity of corners in the stroke, removing selected corners that are associated with segments that are shorter than a designated length, and removing selected corners that have an associated turn angle that is less than a predetermined angle;

determining whether the processed stroke meets path definition requirements of a scrub gesture based upon characteristics of the processed stroke itself and without comparing the processed stroke to stored stroke objects;

determining whether an object displayed on the screen is selected; and

deleting the selected object if the processed stroke meets the requirements of a scrub gesture and an object is selected.

18. A method as recited in claim 17, further including a step of providing animation indicative of the completion of the deletion to graphically inform a user of the deletion, the animation comprising the display of a sequence of frames of images indicating deletion proximate to the former location of said scrub gesture, and wherein each frame is displayed for a predetermined period of time.

19. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein said gesture is removed prior to said step of providing animation.

20. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein said images comprise a dissipating cloud.