Pressure sensitive controls

• US 7,619,616 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jarrett, Robert James, Rimas Ribikauskas, Emily K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe; Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Jennifer T
• Application Number:
  US11/017,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20060132457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,792 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345173-183, 715/732, 715/785, 715/786, 715/787, 715/788
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/282 Carbides, silicides
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/154 by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/328 Partly or completely removing a coating
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/355 Temporary coating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• 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

The use of pressure-sensitive controls is disclosed in which controls respond differently to different pressure applied by a stylus on a digitizer. Users interacting with displayed controls may modify the speed, increment, or other property of the control by pressing harder or softer. Devices that allow for the input of location and pressure information may use embodiments of the invention, including computers with pressure sensitive mice or digitizer tablets, PDAs, or tablet computers. Controls that may use pressure to augment their behavior include scrollbars, spinner controls, resize handles, buttons, drop down menus and so forth.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for adjusting a displayed control, comprising the steps of:

(1) receiving an input upon a display surface of a display device at a location corresponding to the displayed control;

(2) determining an amount of pressure applied by the input;

(3) responsive to a first amount of pressure, the displayed control responding in a first manner; and

(4) responsive to a second greater amount of pressure, the displayed control responding in a second manner, wherein the second manner is different than the first manner,

wherein step (1) comprises receiving the input upon the display surface at a location corresponding to a resize handle associated with an object, and

wherein step (3) comprises resizing the object in a smooth manner in response to the first amount of pressure, and wherein step (4) comprises resizing the object in a constrained manner in response to the second amount of pressure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (4) comprises resizing the object so as to be constrained to a grid and step (3) comprises resizing the object so as to not be constrained to the grid.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a window containing another displayed object.