Touch-sensitive device scratch card user interface

• US 8,667,425 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Steven J., Singleton, David, Burke, David
• Primary Examiner(s): ITURRALDE, ENRIQUE W
• Application Number:
  US13/249,617
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 715/760, 715/768, 715/772, 715/788, 715/790, 715/797, 715/842, 715/863, 715/866
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

This disclosure is directed to techniques for presenting a scratch-card style interface using a touch-sensitive device. The touch-sensitive device is configured to present a first image using a display of the device. The first image may include a plurality of portions. The plurality of portions may be a plurality of overlapping image particles, or may be a plurality of image layers. The device may detect a first user interaction, and graphically remove a first number of portions of the first image in response to detection of the first user interaction. The device may detect a second user interaction, and graphically remove a second number of portions of the first image in response to the detected second user interaction. Graphical removal of the second number of portions may at least partially reveal a second image presented using the display of the device.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions that, when executed, cause a computing device to:

output, for display, a first image;

receive an indication of a first user interaction with a touch-sensitive input device, the first user interaction indicating a first plurality of portions of the first image, wherein a greater pressure or contact area associated with the first user interaction with the touch-sensitive input device indicates a respectively greater number of the first plurality of portions of the first image;

responsive to receiving the indication of the first user interaction, remove the first plurality of portions of the first image, such that the first plurality of portions are entirely removed from display in the first image;

receive an indication of a second user interaction with the touch-sensitive input device, the second user interaction indicating a second plurality of portions of the first image, the second plurality of portions of the first image being different than the first plurality of portions of the first image, wherein a greater pressure or contact area associated with the second user interaction with the touch-sensitive input device indicates a respectively greater number of the second portions of the first image;

responsive to receiving the indication of the second user interaction, remove the second plurality of portions of the first image, such that the second plurality of portions are entirely removed from display in the first image;

output, for display, a second image comprising an animated image or video that is revealed in response to removal of the first plurality of portions and second plurality of portions of the first image, thereby providing a simulated scratch-off user interface;

receive an indication of a third user interaction with the touch-sensitive input device, the third user interaction indicating a third plurality of portions of the first image and at least a portion of the second image; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the third user interaction;

remove the third plurality of portions of the first image, such that the third plurality of portions are entirely removed from display in the first image; and

output, for display, an enlarged portion of the second image, the enlarged portion including at least the portion of the second image and at least one additional portion of the second image different from at least the portion of the second image.

2. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of portions of the first image and the second plurality of portions of the first image comprise a plurality of layers of the first image.

3. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of portions of the first image and the second plurality of portions of the first image comprise a plurality of graphically stacked layers of the first image.

4. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of portions of the first image and the second plurality of portions of the first image comprise a plurality of overlapping particles of the first image.

5. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

detect a first pressure associated with the first user interaction; and

detect a second pressure associated with the second user interaction,

wherein the detected first pressure causes the first plurality of portions of the first image to be removed from presentation in the first image, and

wherein the detected second pressure causes the second plurality of portions of the first image to be removed from presentation in the first image.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of portions is greater than the second plurality of portions.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of portions is less than the second plurality of portions.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

output, for display, at least a portion of one or both of the first plurality of portions of the first image and the second plurality of portions of the first image, such that at least the portion of one or both of the first plurality of portions and the second plurality of portions of the first image does not overlap with the second image.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein the instructions that cause the computing device to output, for display, at least the portion of one or both of the first plurality of portions and the second plurality of portions of the first image comprise instructions that cause the computing device to:

output, for display, at least the portion of one or both of the first plurality of portions and the second plurality of portions of the first image as a removed portion of the first image, thereby providing the simulated scratch-off user interface.

8. A method, comprising:

displaying, by a computing device and for display, a first image;

receiving, by the computing device, an indication of a first user interaction with a touch-sensitive input device, the first user interaction indicating a first plurality of portions of the first image, wherein a greater pressure or contact area associated with the first user interaction with the touch-sensitive input device indicates a respectively greater number of the first plurality of portions of the first image;

responsive to receiving the indication of the first user interaction, removing, by the computing device, the first plurality of portions of the first image such that the first plurality of portions are entirely removed from display in the first image;

receiving, by the computing device, an indication of a second user interaction with the touch-sensitive input device, the second user interaction indicating a second plurality of portions of the first image, the second plurality of portions of the first image being different than the first plurality of portions of the first image, the second plurality of portions of the first image different than the first plurality of portions of the first image, wherein a greater pressure or contact area associated with the second user interaction with the touch-sensitive input device indicates a respectively greater number of the second portions of the first image;

responsive to receiving the indication of the second user interaction, removing, by the computing device, the second plurality of portions of the first image, such that the second plurality of portions being entirely removed from display in the first image;

outputting, by the computing device and for display, a second image comprising an animated image or video that is revealed for display to a user in response to the removal of the first plurality of portions and second plurality of portions of the first image, thereby providing a simulated scratch-off user interface;

receiving, by the computing device, an indication of a third user interaction with the touch-sensitive input device, the third user interaction indicating a third plurality of portions of the first image and at least a portion of the second image; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the third user interaction;

removing, by the computing device, the third plurality of portions of the first image, such that the third plurality of portions are entirely removed from display in the first image; and

outputting, by the computing device and for display, an enlarged portion of the second image, the enlarged portion including at least the portion of the second image and at least one additional portion of the second image different from at least the portion of the second image.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

outputting, by the computing device and for display, at least a portion of one or both of the first plurality of portions of the first image and the second plurality of portions of the first image, such that the displayed portion of one or both of the first plurality and the second plurality does not overlap with the second image.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein outputting, by the computing device and for display, at least the portion of one or both of the first plurality and the second plurality comprises:

outputting, by the computing device and for display, at least the portion of one or both of the first plurality and the second plurality, such that the displayed portion of one or both of the first plurality and the second plurality is displayed as a removed portion of the first image, thereby providing the simulated scratch-off user interface.

9. A computing device, comprising:

a memory; and

one or more programmable processors configured to;

output, for display, a first image;

receive an indication of a first user interaction with a touch-sensitive input device, the first user interaction indicating a first plurality of portions of the first image, wherein a greater pressure or contact area associated with the first user interaction with the touch-sensitive input device indicates a respectively greater number of the first plurality of portions of the first image; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the first user interaction, remove the first plurality of portions of the first image from the displayed first image such that the first plurality of portions are entirely removed from display in the first image;

receive an indication of a second user interaction with the touch-sensitive input device, the second user interaction indicating a second plurality of portions of the first image, the second plurality of portions of the first image different being than the first plurality of portions of the first image, the second plurality of portions of the first image different than the first plurality of portions of the first image, wherein a greater pressure or contact area associated with the second user interaction with the touch-sensitive input device indicates a respectively greater number of the second portions of the first image;

responsive to receiving the indication of the second user interaction, remove the first plurality of portions from the displayed first image, is further configured for removing second plurality of portions of the first image from the first image, such that the second plurality of portions of the first image are entirely removed from display in the first image;

output, for display, a second image comprising an animated image or video revealed in response to removal of the first plurality of portions and second plurality of portions of the first image, thereby providing a simulated scratch-off user interface;

receive an indication of a third user interaction with the touch-sensitive input device, the third user interaction indicating a third plurality of portions of the first image and at least a portion of the second image; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the third user interaction;

remove the third plurality of portions of the first image, such that the third plurality of portions are entirely removed from display in the first image; and

output, for display, an enlarged portion of the second image, the enlarged portion including at least the portion of the second image and at least one additional portion of the second image different from at least the portion of the second image.

14. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the one or more programmable processors are further configured to:

output, for display, at least a portion of one or both of the first plurality of portions of the first image and the second plurality of portions of the first image, such that the displayed portion of one or both of the first plurality and the second plurality does not overlap with the second image.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein, to output, for display, at least the portion of one or both of the first plurality and the second plurality, the one or more programmable processors are configured to:

output, for display, at least the portion of one or both of the first plurality and the second plurality, such that the displayed portion of one or both of the first plurality and the second plurality is displayed as a removed portion of the first image, thereby providing the simulated scratch-off user interface.