Insertion marker placement on touch sensitive display

• US 8,610,671 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2007
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Westerman, Wayne Carl, Ording, Bas, Victor, B. Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZUBAJLO, JENNIFER L
• Application Number:
  US11/965,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20090167700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,182 Days
• Field of Search: 345/157, 345/173, 715/700, 178 1801- 1811
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation methods for entering alphabetical characters per se G06F3/0237

Abstract

In accordance with some embodiments, a computer-implemented method is performed at a portable electronic device with a touch screen display. The method can include: displaying graphics on the touch screen display, detecting a finger contact on the touch screen display, and, in response to the detected finger contact, inserting an insertion marker in the graphics at a first location. The method can further include detecting a finger movement on the touch screen display and, irrespective of initial distance from finger to insertion marker on the touch screen display, moving the insertion marker in accordance with the detected finger movement from the first location to a second location in the graphics.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

displaying graphics on a touch screen display;

detecting a first contact with the touch screen display;

in response to the detected first contact, inserting an insertion marker in the graphics at a first location;

detecting a second contact with the touch screen display, the second contact detected at a location independent of the first location;

detecting movement of the second contact on the touch screen display;

determining whether the detected movement of the second contact has a larger horizontal component or a larger vertical component;

in response to a determination that the detected movement of the second contact has a larger horizontal component, initiating an insertion marker control mode for moving the insertion marker in accordance with the detected movement of the second contact from the first location to a second location in the graphics; and

in response to a determination that the detected movement of the second contact has a larger vertical component, initiating a scrolling mode for scrolling the graphics in accordance with the detected moment of the second contact.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the insertion marker is a cursor, insertion bar, insertion point, or pointer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first location is located proximate to the location of the detected first contact.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphics comprise text.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the detected first contact is located on top of a word in the text and wherein the first location is located at the front or the end of the word.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining a word in the text located closest to the detected first contact, wherein the first location is located at the front or the end of the word.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second location is within the word.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the detected movement of the second contact comprises a finger sliding horizontally across the touch screen display relative to the text.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, in response to the horizontal finger movement, moving the insertion marker from a first line of text to a second line of text.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the detected movement of the second contact comprises a finger sliding vertically on the touch screen display with respect to lines of text.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, in response to the vertical finger movement, moving the insertion marker from a first line of text to a second line of text.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the movement is detected without breaking the detected second contact.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected first contact comprises detecting one or more taps on the touch screen display and the detected movement of the second contact comprises detecting a slide across a portion of the touch screen display.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the insertion marker in accordance with the detected movement of the second contact includes moving the insertion marker in a first area of the touch screen that includes characters entered using a soft keyboard, wherein the soft keyboard is located in a second area of the touch screen that is separate from the first area.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving includes an animation of the insertion marker moving to the second location.

16. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

displaying graphics on a touch screen display;

displaying an insertion marker in the graphics at a first location;

detecting a contact with the touch screen display, the contact detected at a location independent of the first location;

detecting movement of the contact on the touch screen display;

determining whether the detected movement of the contact has a larger horizontal component or a larger vertical component;

in response to a determination that the detected movement of the contact has a larger horizontal component, initiating an insertion marker control mode; and

in response to a determination that the detected movement of the contact has a larger vertical component, initiating a scrolling mode.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

moving the insertion marker in the graphics in accordance with the detected contact movement if the insertion marker control mode is initiated; and

scrolling the graphics in accordance with the detected contact movement if the scrolling mode is initiated.

18. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a touch screen display;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and capable of being executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including;

instructions for displaying graphics on the touch screen display;

instructions for displaying an insertion marker in the graphics at a first location;

instructions for detecting a contact with the touch screen display, the contact detected at a location independent of the first location;

instructions for detecting movement of the contact on the touch screen display;

instructions for determining whether the detected movement of the contact has a larger horizontal component or a larger vertical component;

instructions for initiating an insertion marker control mode if the detected movement of the contact has a larger horizontal component; and

instructions for initiating a scrolling mode if the detected movement of the contact has a larger vertical component.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the detected movement of the contact comprises a finger sliding across at least a portion of the touch screen display.

20. A portable electronic device with a touch screen display, comprising:

means for displaying graphics on the touch screen display;

means for displaying an insertion marker in the graphics at a first location;

means for detecting a contact with the touch screen display, the contact detected at a location independent of the first location;

means for detecting movement of the contact on the touch screen display;

means for determining whether the detected movement of the contact has a larger horizontal component or a larger vertical component;

means for initiating an insertion marker control mode if the detected movement of the contact has a larger horizontal component; and

means for initiating a scrolling mode if the detected movement of the contact has a larger vertical component.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the movement of the contact comprises a finger sliding across at least a portion the touch screen display.