Zeroclick

• US 8,549,443 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2010
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zeroclick, LLC (Nes Irvine)
• Original Assignee: Nes Stewart Irvine
• Inventors: Irvine, Nes Stewart
• Primary Examiner(s): HAILU, TADESSE
• Application Number:
  US12/877,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 715/711, 715/802, 715/805, 715/856, 715/862, 715/863, 345/157, 345/163, 345/179
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 GUI interface, a method of programming a GUI interface, and an apparatus which enables functions of controls in the GUI to be activated by a movement to a control and then another subsequent movement related to that control. It may be defined more precisely below. A GUI in which, when a pointer 0 is immediately adjacent or passes over a control area 1, a procedure is initiated whereby subsequent movement of the pointer over a predetermined path area 3 generates a ‘click’ event which simulates direct clicking of the control 1 and moving outside the predetermined path area 3 prior to completion of the path 3 resets the control to as if the pointer has never started along the predetermined path area 3.

Claims

1. A device capable of executing software comprising:

a touch-sensitive screen configured to detect being touched by a user'"'"'s finger without requiring an exertion of pressure on the screen;

a processor connected to the touch-sensitive screen and configured to receive from the screen information regarding locations touched by the user'"'"'s finger;

executable user interface code stored in a memory connected to the processor, the user interface code executable by the processor;

the user interface code being configured to detect initial touching by the user'"'"'s finger and an initial subsequent movement of the user'"'"'s finger on the screen, and, after the detection of the initial touching and the initial subsequent movement, activates the screen in which one or more additional movements of the user'"'"'s finger at one or more locations touched can be detected;

the user interface code and the processor being further configured to respond to the one or more additional movements of the user'"'"'s finger on the touch-sensitive screen by determining a selected operation, the selected operation being determined by the one or more additional movements of the user'"'"'s finger and independent of the initial touching and the initial subsequent movement; and

the user interface code is further configured to cause one or more selected operations, which includes one or more functions available to the user interface code of the device to deactivate while the user'"'"'s finger is touching one or more locations on the screen.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the initial subsequent movement is a movement of the user'"'"'s finger along a specified direction and within a designated area of the screen over a specified distance.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the initial subsequent movement is a movement of the user'"'"'s finger to a different location on the screen while continuing to touch the touch screen.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the initial subsequent movement is a movement of the user'"'"'s finger to a different location on the screen in which the user'"'"'s finger does not continuously touch the screen.

5. The device according to claim 1 wherein the screen is activated when the user interface code detects that the user'"'"'s finger no longer touches the screen following the initial subsequent movement.

6. A device capable of executing software comprising:

a touch-sensitive screen configured to detect touching by a user'"'"'s finger without requiring an exertion of pressure on the screen;

a processor connected to the touch-sensitive screen and configured to receive from the screen information regarding locations touched by the user'"'"'s finger;

executable user interface code stored in a memory connected to the processor, the user interface code executable by the processor;

the user interface code being configured to detect an operation sequence comprising one or more locations touched by the user'"'"'s finger and determine therefrom a user selected operation;

the user interface code being further configured to detect a triggering sequence comprising a sequence of locations touched by the user'"'"'s finger that is separate from the operation sequence and enable the initiation of the user selected operation; and

the user interface code is further configured to cause one or more user selected operations, which includes one or more functions available to the user interface code of the device, to deactivate while the user'"'"'s finger is touching one or more locations on the screen.

7. The device according to claim 6 further comprising a mobile phone.

8. The device according to claim 6 further comprising a touch-sensitive pad that is not required to be pressure-sensitive.

9. The device according to claim 6 wherein the touch sensitive screen is capable of detecting a finger in close proximity over the screen.

10. The device according to claim 6, wherein said user interface code is further configured to make an accidental triggering of the user selected operation less probable than pressing a physical button or pressure exerted on a screen.

11. A device capable of executing software comprising:

a touch-sensitive screen configured to detect being touched by a user'"'"'s finger without requiring an exertion of pressure on the screen;

a processor connected to the touch-sensitive screen and configured to receive from the screen information regarding locations touched by the user'"'"'s finger;

executable user interface code stored in a memory connected to the processor, the user interface code executable by the processor;

the user interface code being configured to detect a movement of the user'"'"'s finger on the screen without requiring the exertion of pressure and determine therefrom a selected operation;

the user interface code being further configured to initiate the selected operation by a further movement of the user'"'"'s finger along the screen or a removal of the user'"'"'s finger from the screen, in either case without requiring the exertion of pressure on the screen; and

the user interface code is further configured to cause one or more selected operations, which includes one or more functions available to the user interface code of the device, to deactivate while the user'"'"'s finger is touching one or more locations on the screen.

12. The device according to claim 11 in which the executable user interface code is further configured to cause the selected operation to be more than a change in appearance on the touch-sensitive screen responsive to coordinate positions of the user'"'"'s finger touching the screen.

13. The device according to claim 11 wherein the user interface code is further configured to execute the selected operation by the touch-sensitive screen detecting coordinates of each of at least two of the user'"'"'s fingers touching different areas of the touch-sensitive screen sequentially.

14. The device according to claim 11 further comprising either a mobile phone or a touch sensitive ad.

15. The device according to claim 11 further comprising a facility controlling Web operations in response to a detection by the screen of the user touching the screen.

16. The device according to claim 11 including a pen acting as the user'"'"'s finger.

17. The device according to claim 11 in which said user interface code is further configured to cause the user selected operation to move a displayed desktop in a selected direction.

18. The device according to claim 11 in which said user interface code is further configured to respond to a pointer speed at which the user'"'"'s finger touching the screen moves along the screen.

19. A device capable of executing software comprising:

a touch-sensitive screen configured to detect being touched by a user'"'"'s finger without requiring an exertion of pressure on the screen;

a processor connected to the touch-sensitive screen and configured to receive from the screen information regarding locations touched by the user'"'"'s finger;

executable user interface code stored in a memory connected to the processor;

the user interface code executable by the processor;

the user interface code being configured to detect one or more locations touched by a movement of the user'"'"'s finger on the screen without requiring the exertion of pressure and determine therefrom a selected operation; and

the user interface code is further configured to cause one or more selected operations, which includes one or more functions available to the user interface code of the device, to deactivate while the user'"'"'s finger is touching one or more locations on the screen.

20. The device of claim 19 in which said device comprises a mobile phone.

21. The device of claim 19 in which said device comprises a touch-sensitive pad that is not required to be pressure-sensitive,

wherein the user interface code is configured to detect more than one selected operation, which has the capability to emulate a visible or invisible pointer movement and/or a “

click”

event for one or more of the following;

a control, menu, desktop, internet browser, multimedia player, settings menu, icon, button, phone dialer, multimedia recorder, word processor, email program, graphical program, graphical user interface, other application program, or pixel of the touch-sensitive screen, and

with the capability to provide visual, and auditory feedback responsive to one or more locations being touched by the movement of the user'"'"'s finger,

without requiring the exertion of pressure on the touch-sensitive screen.