Jump scrolling

• US 8,640,046 B1
• Filed: 10/23/2012
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jania, Frank, Cohen, Gabriel Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): HAILU, TADESSE
• Application Number:
  US13/658,629
• Time in Patent Office: 462 Days
• Field of Search: 715781-787
• US Class Current: 715/785
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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

Abstract

Techniques for jumping to a specific location in a list of items displayed at a touch-sensitive display of a computing device may include outputting, for display at the touch-sensitive display, a first sub-portion of a list of items, receiving an indication of a first gesture input entered at the touch-sensitive display, determining a first alphanumeric character based at least in part on the first gesture input, receiving an indication of a second gesture input entered at the touch-sensitive display, determining a second alphanumeric character based at least in part on the second gesture input, and responsive to determining the second alphanumeric character, outputting, for display at the touch-sensitive display, a sub-portion of the list of items that includes one or more entries having a first character that corresponds to the first alphanumeric character and a second character that corresponds to the second alphanumeric character.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

outputting, by a computing device, for display at a touch-sensitive display, a first sub-portion of a list of items;

receiving an indication of a first gesture input entered at the touch-sensitive display, the first gesture input having a first quantity of points of contact at the touch-sensitive display;

determining a first alphanumeric character based at least in part on the first gesture input;

responsive to determining the first alphanumeric character, outputting, by the computing device, for display at the touch-sensitive display, and in place of the first sub-portion of the list of items, a second sub-portion of the list of items that includes one or more entries having a first character that corresponds to the first alphanumeric character;

after outputting, by the computing device, for display at the touch-sensitive display, the second sub-portion of the list of items, receiving an indication of a second gesture input entered at the touch-sensitive display, the second gesture input having a second quantity of points of contact at the touch-sensitive display, wherein at least one of the first gesture input and the second gesture input comprises a multi-touch gesture input;

determining a second alphanumeric character based at least in part on the second gesture input;

comparing the first quantity of points of contact in the first gesture input to the second quantity of points of contact in the second gesture input; and

responsive to determining that the first quantity of points of contact is different than the second quantity of points of contact, outputting, by the computing device and for display at the touch-sensitive display, in place of the second sub-portion of the list of items, a third sub-portion of the list of items that includes one or more entries having a first character that corresponds to the first alphanumeric character and a second character that corresponds to the second alphanumeric character.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

responsive to the first gesture input including the multi-touch gesture input, entering a jump scrolling mode that jumps to a sub-portion of the list of items based at least in part on determining alphanumeric characters associated with gesture inputs.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the first gesture input is inputted at a first portion of the touch-sensitive display, and

the first sub-portion of the list of items is output by the computing device and for display at the first portion of the touch-sensitive display during input of the first gesture input.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the second gesture input is inputted at a second portion of the touch-sensitive display; and

the second sub-portion of the list of items is output by the computing device and for display at the second portion of the touch-sensitive display during input of the second gesture input.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first quantity of points of contact is different from the second quantity of points of contact.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the first gesture input comprises the multi-touch gesture input; and

the second gesture input comprises a single-touch gesture input.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the first quantity of points of contact is greater than the second quantity of points of contact.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the second quantity of points of contact is greater than the first quantity of points of contact.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

after outputting, by the computing device and for display at the touch-sensitive display, the third sub-portion of the list, receiving an indication of a third gesture input entered at the touch-sensitive display, the third gesture input including the first quantity of points of contact;

determining a third alphanumeric character based at least in part on the third gesture input; and

responsive to determining the third alphanumeric character, outputting, by the computing device and for display at the touch-sensitive display, a fourth sub-portion of the list of items that includes one or more entries having a first character that corresponds to the third alphanumeric character.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

after outputting, by the computing device, for display at the touch-sensitive display, the third sub-portion of the list, receiving an indication of a third gesture input entered at the touch-sensitive display, the third gesture input including the second quantity of points of contact;

determining a third alphanumeric character based at least in part on the third gesture input; and

responsive to determining the third alphanumeric character, outputting, by the computing device, for display at the touch-sensitive display, a fourth sub-portion of the list of items that includes one or more entries having a first character that corresponds to the first alphanumeric character and a second character that corresponds to the third alphanumeric character.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after outputting, by the computing device, for display at the touch-sensitive display, the third sub-portion of the list, receiving an indication of a third gesture input entered at the touch-sensitive display;

determining a third alphanumeric character based at least in part on the third gesture input; and

responsive to determining the third alphanumeric character, outputting, by the computing device, for display at the touch-sensitive display, a fourth sub-portion of the list of items that includes one or more entries having a first character that corresponds to the first alphanumeric character, a second character that corresponds to the second alphanumeric character, and a third character that corresponds to the third alphanumeric character.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the first gesture input comprises the multi-touch gesture input;

the second gesture input comprises a single-touch gesture input; and

the third gesture input comprises the single-touch gesture input.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the second quantity of points of contact is greater than the first quantity of points of contact; and

the third gesture input includes a third quantity of points of contact that is greater than the second quantity of points of contact.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the third gesture input includes a third quantity of points of contact at the touch-sensitive display;

the first quantity of points of contact is great than the second quantity of points of contact; and

the second quantity of points of contact is greater than the third quantity of points of contact.

15. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

outputting, by a computing device, for display at a touch-sensitive display, a first sub-portion of a list of items;

receiving an indication of a first gesture input entered at the touch-sensitive display, the first gesture input having a first quantity of points of contact at the touch-sensitive display;

determining a first alphanumeric character based at least in part on the first gesture input;

receiving an indication of a second gesture input entered at the touch-sensitive display, the second gesture input having a second quantity of points of contact at the touch-sensitive display, wherein the second quantity of points of contact is greater than the first quantity of points of contact;

determining a second alphanumeric character based at least in part on the second gesture input; and

responsive to determining the second alphanumeric character, outputting, by the computing device, for display at the touch-sensitive display, in place of the first sub-portion of the list of items, a second sub-portion of the list of items that includes one or more entries having a first character that corresponds to the first alphanumeric character and a second character that corresponds to the second alphanumeric character.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein:

an indication of the first gesture input is received at a first portion of the touch-sensitive display; and

the first sub-portion of the list of items is outputted by the computing device and for display at the first portion of the touch-sensitive display during input of the first gesture input.

17. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors;

a touch-sensitive display configured to display a first sub-portion of a list of items, and further configured to receive a first gesture input;

a query module operable on the one or more processors and configured to determine a first alphanumeric character based at least in part on the first gesture input;

wherein responsive to the query module determining the first alphanumeric character, the touch-sensitive display is further configured to display, in place of the first sub-portion of the list of items, a second sub-portion of the list of items that includes one or more entries having a first character that corresponds to the first alphanumeric character;

wherein after displaying the second sub-portion of the list, the touch-sensitive display is further configured to receive a second gesture input, wherein at least one of the first gesture input and the second gesture input comprises a multi-touch gesture input;

wherein the query module is further configured to determine a second alphanumeric character based at least in part on the second gesture input;

wherein responsive to the query module determining the second alphanumeric character, the touch-sensitive display is further configured to display, in place of the second sub-portion of the list of items, a third sub-portion of the list of items that includes one or more entries having a first character that corresponds to the first alphanumeric character and a second character that corresponds to the second alphanumeric character;

wherein the first gesture input is received at a first portion of the touch-sensitive display; and

wherein the first sub-portion of the list of items is displayed at the first portion of the touch-sensitive display during input of the first gesture input.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein:

the first gesture input comprises a first quantity of points of contact at the touch-sensitive display;

the second gesture input comprises a second quantity of points of contact at the touch-sensitive display; and

the first quantity of points of contact is different from the second quantity of points of contact.