Ephemeral object selections and fast-path gesturing for device control

• US 8,726,191 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2011
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Molander, Mark, Eischeid, Todd, Bohrer, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao Kevin
• Application Number:
  US13/113,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20120304086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 715/702, 715/863, 715/851, 715/853, 715/840, 715/856
• US Class Current: 715/831
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A device may be controlled by: detecting a first user input associated with an element of a graphical user interface associated with at least one controllable device; detecting at least one second user input; and transmitting at least one device control signal to the at least one controllable device associated with the element of the graphical user interface when the first user input and the second user input are at least partially contemporaneous.

Claims

1. A method for controlling devices comprising:

detecting a first user input associated with an element of a graphical user interface associated with at least one controllable device;

detecting at least one second user input; and

transmitting at least one device control signal to the at least one controllable device associated with the element of the graphical user interface when the first user input and the second user input are at least partially contemporaneous.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a second graphical user interface hierarchically dependent from the element of the graphical user interface associated with the controllable device in response to the first user input when the first user input and the second user input are non-contemporaneous.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first user input and the second user input is a touch input to a touch-screen displaying the graphical user interface element.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user input is a substantially static input with respect to the graphical user interface element;

and wherein the second user input is an at least partially dynamic input with respect to the graphical user interface element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one device control signal causes the controllable device to perform at least one operation selected from:

powering on;

powering off;

restarting;

entering a sleep state;

exiting a sleep state;

throttling down; and

throttling up.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the controllable device is at least one of a server device, a server tray, and a server rack.

7. A system for controlling devices comprising:

means for detecting a first user input associated with an element of a graphical user interface associated with at least one controllable device;

means for detecting at least one second user input; and

means for transmitting at least one device control signal to the at least one controllable device associated with the element of the graphical user interface when the first user input and the second user input are at least partially contemporaneous.

8. A method for controlling devices comprising:

detecting a first portion of a user input associated with an element of a graphical user interface representing at least one controllable device;

detecting an at least partially dynamic second portion of the user input subsequent to the first portion of the user input; and

transmitting at least one device control signal to the at least one controllable device represented by the element of the graphical user interface.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the detecting a first portion of a user input associated with an element of a graphical user interface representing at least one controllable device comprises:

detecting an at least substantially static first portion of a user input having a threshold duration.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the substantially static first portion of a user input and the at least partially dynamic second portion of the user input include a single continuous touch-screen contact.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

displaying a second graphical user interface hierarchically dependent from the element of the graphical user interface associated with the controllable device in response to the portion of the user input associated with the element of the graphical user interface associated with the at least one controllable device when the portion of the user input associated with the element of the graphical user interface associated with the at least one controllable device and the at least partially dynamic portion of the user input are discontinuous.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first portion of a user input and the least partially dynamic second portion of the user input are touch inputs to a touch-screen displaying the element of the graphical user interface element associated with at least one controllable device external to a device receiving the user input.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one device control signal causes the controllable device external to a device receiving the user input to perform at least one operation selected from:

powering on;

powering off;

restarting;

entering a sleep state;

exiting a sleep state;

throttling down; and

throttling up.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the controllable device external to a device receiving the user input is at least one of a server device, a server tray, and a server rack.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the detecting a first portion of a user input an element of a graphical user interface associated with representing at least one controllable device includes:

detecting a first portion of a user input an element of a graphical user interface associated with representing at least one controllable device external to a device receiving the user input.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein the element of a graphical user interface representing at least one controllable device includes:

at least one of a graphical or textual representation of the at least one controllable device.

15. A system for controlling devices comprising:

means for detecting a first portion of a user input associated with an element of a graphical user interface representing at least one controllable device;

means for detecting an at least partially dynamic second portion of the user input subsequent to the first portion of the user input; and

means for transmitting at least one device control signal to at least one controllable device represented by the element of the graphical user interface.