Method and system for improving interaction with a user interface

• US 7,966,573 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2006
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Dodge, Steven P., Townsend, Reed L., Scott, Bryan D., Kolmykov-Zotov, Alexander J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Salomon; Phenuel S
• Application Number:
  US11/356,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,950 Days
• Field of Search: 715/700, 715/710, 715/863, 715/864, 715/861, 715/815, 345/173, 345/174
• US Class Current: 715/815
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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

Abstract

Upon detection of user input, a computing device (e.g., tablet PC, PDA, cellular device) may determine whether the input corresponds to a request to enhance elements of the user interface. In response to a positive determination, the computing device may magnify or otherwise modify the appearance of particular graphical elements of the interface to facilitate user interaction. The computing device identifies one or more graphical elements that are within a predefined proximity or area of the input location and displays an enlarged version of those elements to provide the user with a larger interaction area. Additionally, a computing device may clone (i.e., copy) the identified elements and enlarge the cloned elements at a specified region of the user interface. In another aspect, the computing device may magnify the entire area associated with the location of user input, rather than just the interactive elements of that predefined area.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a processor to perform a method for modifying a user interface displayed on a touch-sensitive display screen, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving user input via the touch-sensitive display screen;

identifying at least one application associated with the user interface;

identifying all interactive elements of the at least one identified application located in an area of the user interface, wherein the area is based on a location of the touch sensitive display screen where the user input was received, and the area is selectable from any portion of the user interface; and

displaying, without moving unidentified interactive elements, the identified interactive elements with varying levels of magnification depending on their location in the area, wherein;

at least one level of magnification is adjusted depending on the number of identified interactive elements; and

displaying the identified interactive elements with varying levels of magnification depending on their location in the area comprises narrowing the area to reduce the number of identified interactive elements and displaying the identified interactive elements in the narrowed area with greater magnification than the identified interactive elements outside the narrowed area.

2. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving user input via a touch-sensitive display screen further comprises detecting a pressure associated with the received user input.

3. The computer readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the level or varying levels of magnification of the enlarged version also depend on the detected pressure associated with the received user input.

4. The computer readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein a size of the area is based on the detected pressure.

5. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein displaying the identified interactive elements with varying levels of magnification depending on their location in the area comprises changing magnification of identified interactive elements depending on a distance from a center of the area.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying all interactive elements of the at least one identified application located in an area of the user interface comprises requesting a set of interactive elements associated with the area.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the step of requesting a set of interactive elements associated with the area comprises transmitting a request message comprising data associated with the area and the location at which the user input was received.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising magnifying the entire area of the user interface with varying levels of magnification depending on a location in the area or with the same level of magnification adjusted depending on the number of interactive and non-interactive elements in the area.

9. A computer readable storage medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a processor to perform a method for modifying a user interface, the user interface comprises at least one displayed interactive element and at least one displayed non-interactive element each having a first size, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving user input;

identifying all interactive elements located in an area of the user interface, wherein the area is based on a location where the user input was received, and the area is selectable from any portion of the user interface; and

in response to a result of the step of identifying all interactive elements in the area, displaying, without moving unidentified interactive elements, the identified interactive elements with varying levels of magnification depending on their location in the area, wherein;

at least one level of magnification is adjusted depending on the number of identified interactive elements; and

displaying the identified interactive elements with varying levels of magnification depending on their location in the area comprises narrowing the area to reduce the number of identified interactive elements and displaying the identified interactive elements in the narrowed area with greater magnification than the identified interactive elements outside the narrowed area.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the step of identifying all interactive elements located in an area of the user interface, further comprises:

identifying at least one application associated with the user interface; and

requesting a set of interactive elements associated with the area.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the step of identifying at least one application associated with the user interface comprises identifying at least one application with an associated graphical element on the user interface.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the step of requesting a set of interactive elements associated with the area comprises transmitting a request message to the at least one application.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

determining a type of user input other than the location of the input;

comparing said type of user input to at least one predefined rule to determine whether they correspond, wherein the at least one predefined rule defines a type of modification of the interactive elements associated with the type of user input; and

if the user input corresponds to the predefined rule, displaying the identified interactive elements in accordance with the type of modification of the interactive elements.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein displaying the identified interactive elements with varying levels of magnification depending on their location in the area comprises changing magnification of identified interactive elements depending on a distance from a center of the area.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising the step of receiving user input corresponding to user interaction with at least one of the identified elements displayed in a second size.

16. A method for modifying a user interface, the user interface comprising at least one displayed interactive element and at least one displayed non-interactive element each having a first size, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving user input;

identifying all interactive elements located in an area of the user interface, wherein the area is based on a location where the user input was received, and the area is selectable from any portion of the user interface; and

in response to a result of the step of identifying all interactive elements in the area, displaying, without moving unidentified interactive elements, the identified interactive elements with varying levels of magnification depending on their location in the area, wherein;

at least one level of magnification is adjusted depending on the number of identified interactive elements; and

displaying the identified interactive elements with varying levels of magnification depending on their location in the area comprises narrowing the area to reduce the number of identified interactive elements and displaying the identified interactive elements in the narrowed area with greater magnification than the identified interactive elements outside the narrowed area.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of identifying all interactive elements associated with an area of the user interface, further comprises:

identifying at least one application associated with the user interface; and

requesting a set of interactive elements associated with the area.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a type of user input other than the location of the input;

comparing said type of user input to at least one predefined rule to determine whether they correspond, wherein the at least one predefined rule defines a type of modification of the interactive elements associated with the type of user input; and

if the user input corresponds to the predefined rule, displaying the identified interactive elements in accordance with the type of modification of the interactive elements.