Manual controlled scrolling

• US 7,202,857 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2004
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sinclair, Michael J., Bathiche, Steven N., Hinckley, Kenneth P., Cauthorn, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAO, LUN YI
• Application Number:
  US10/768,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20040150630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-183, 345684-688, 345784-787, 715784-787, 715684-687, 178/18.01, 178 1803- 1809, 178/19.01, 178/19.03, 178 1904- 1905
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A scrolling device for a computer may include a touch-sensitive surface, which may be elongated and/or have one or more active regions. Scrolling may be performed in manual as well as automated ways that may result in more accurate and efficient scrolling. Scrolling, as displayed on the screen, may further be rounded to the nearest document text line and/or distance unit, even though a more precise scrolling location value may be stored and/or tracked.

Claims

1. A method, comprising steps of:

determining a first location of a pointer relative to a touch-sensitive surface;

determining a first un-rounded location in a document based on the first location of the pointer;

rounding the first un-rounded location in the document to a nearest first text line;

moving the document to the first text line;

determining a second location of the pointer relative to the touch-sensitive surface;

determining a second un-rounded location in the document based on both the second location of the pointer and the first un-rounded location in the document;

rounding the second un-rounded location in the document to a nearest second text line; and

moving the document to the second text line.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the second un-rounded location in the document includes determining an amount to scroll away from the first un-rounded location in the document.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch-sensitive surface is a single continuous touch-sensitive surface, and wherein the first and second locations of the pointer are each determined relative to the continuous touch-sensitive surface.

4. A method, comprising steps of:

determining a first location of a pointer relative to a touch-sensitive surface;

determining a first location in a document based on the first location of the pointer, the first location in the document being of a first numerical resolution;

determining a second location in the document based on the first location in the document, the second location in the document being of a second numerical resolution lower than the first numerical resolution;

moving the document to the second location in the document;

determining a second location of the pointer relative to the touch-sensitive surface;

determining a third location in the document based on both the second location of the pointer and the first location in the document, the third location in the document being of the first numerical resolution;

determining a fourth location in the document based on the third location in the document, the fourth location in the document being of the second numerical resolution; and

moving the document to the fourth location in the document.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second and further locations in the documents are define in units of text lines.

6. A method, comprising steps of:

determining a first location of a pointer relative to a touch-sensitive surface;

determining a first location in a document based on the first location of the pointer, the first location in the document being defined in a first unit of measurement;

determining a second location in the document based on the first location in the document, the second location in the document being defined in a second unit of measurement different from the first unit of measurement;

moving the document to the second location in the document;

determining a second location of the pointer relative to the touch-sensitive surface;

determining a third location in the document based on both the second location of the pointer and the first location in the document, the third location in the document being defined in the first unit of measurement;

determining a fourth location in the document based on the third location in the document, the fourth location in the document being defined in the second unit of measurement; and

moving the document to the fourth location in the document.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second unit of measurement is a unit of a text line.