Touch pull-in gesture

• US 8,836,648 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2009
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wilairat, Weerapan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pervan, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/472,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20100302172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,938 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 715700-866, 178 1801- 1907
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Embodiments of a touch pull-in gesture are described. In various embodiments, a touch input is detected that starts at an edge of a touch-screen and progresses as an expanding contact region from the edge of the touch-screen toward approximately a center region of the touch-screen while the touch input remains in contact with the touch-screen. The expanding contact region is determined as a touch pull-in gesture to initiate a display of a user interface component.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a portable computer device, the method comprising:

detecting a touch input that from a position at least partially off of a touch-screen, crosses over an edge of the touch-screen, and progresses as an expanding contact region from the edge of the touch-screen toward approximately a center region of the touch-screen while the touch input remains in contact with the touch-screen;

determining the expanding contact region as a touch pull-in gesture to initiate a display of a user interface component based on a direction variable, a start region position variable, and a motion rate variable for which data is ascertained from the detected touch input; and

initiating a display of the user interface component at a location of the touch pull-in gesture where detected as the touch input on the touch-screen, the touch pull-in gesture giving the appearance that the user interface component is dragged onto the touch-screen in a direction of the touch-pull in gesture.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the touch pull-in gesture is recognized as a combination of the touch input at the edge of the touch-screen and a motion gesture across the touch-screen.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising initiating a display of a drop-down menu as the user interface component when the touch pull-in gesture crosses over a top edge of the touch-screen.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising initiating a display of a vertical scrollbar as the user interface component when the touch pull-in gesture crosses over a side edge of the touch-screen.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising initiating a display of a hidden menu as the user interface component at the location of the touch pull-in gesture on the touch-screen.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the touch pull-in gesture gives the appearance of dragging the hidden menu onto the touch-screen for display in the direction of the touch pull-in gesture.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the expanding contact region is detected as a progression of motion as the touch input remains in contact with the touch-screen.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a drop-down menu as the user interface component when the touch pull-in gesture crosses over a top edge of the touch-screen;

displaying a vertical scroll bar as the user interface component when the touch pull-in gesture crosses over a side edge of the touch-screen; and

displaying a horizontal scroll bar as the user interface component when the touch pull-in gesture crosses over a bottom edge of the touch-screen.

9. A portable computer device, comprising:

at least a memory and a processor configured to implement a touch pull-in gesture that gives the appearance of dragging a user interface component onto a touch-screen for display, the user interface component appearing to be dragged onto the touch-screen in a direction that the touch pull-in gesture is performed;

a touch-screen driver configured to detect a touch input that crosses onto a side edge of the touch-screen from a position outside of the touch-screen and progresses as an expanding contact region from the side edge of the touch-screen toward approximately a center region of the touch-screen while the touch input remains in contact with the touch-screen; and

an interface application configured to receive gesture data that corresponds to the touch pull-in gesture from the touch-screen driver and determine the expanding contact region as the touch pull-in gesture to initiate a display of the user interface component at a location of the touch pull-in gesture on the touch-screen, wherein the gesture data received by the interface application is used to determine the expanded contact region as the touch pull-in gesture and includes data representative of at least a direction variable, a start region position variable, and a motion rate variable.

10. A portable computer device as recited in claim 9, wherein the touch pull-in gesture is recognized as a combination of the touch input at the side edge of the touch-screen and a motion gesture across the touch-screen.

11. A portable computer device as recited in claim 9, wherein the touch-screen driver is further configured to detect the expanding contact region as a progression of motion as the touch input remains in contact with the touch-screen.

12. A portable computer device as recited in claim 9, wherein the interface application is further configured to initiate a display of a drop-down menu as the user interface component when the touch pull-in gesture crosses onto the side edge of the touch-screen.

13. A portable computer device as recited in claim 9, wherein the interface application is further configured to initiate a display of a vertical scrollbar as the user interface component when the touch pull-in gesture crosses onto the side edge of the touch-screen.

14. A portable computer device as recited in claim 9, wherein the interface application is further configured to initiate a display of a hidden menu as the user interface component when the touch pull-in gesture is determined.

15. Computer-readable memory devices having stored thereon instructions that are executable by a portable computer device to perform rising:

detecting a touch input that starts at least partially off of a touch-screen, crosses over an edge of the touch-screen, and progresses as an expanding contact region from the edge of the touch-screen and across the touch-screen while the touch input remains in contact with the touch-screen;

determining the expanding contact region as a touch pull-in gesture using a combination of a direction variable, a start region position variable, and a motion rate variable and for which data is ascertained from the detected touch input; and

initiating a display of a user interface component at a location of the touch pull-in gesture where detected as the touch input on the touch-screen, the touch pull-in gesture giving the appearance that the user interface component is dragged onto the touch screen, the user interface component appearing to be dragged from the edge of the touch-screen over which the touch input crosses and toward a center of the touch-screen.

16. Computer-readable memory devices as recited in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise recognizing the touch pull-in gesture as a combination of the touch input at the edge of the touch-screen and a motion gesture across the touch-screen.

17. Computer-readable memory devices as recited in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise initiating a display of a drop-down menu as the user interface component when the touch pull-in gesture crosses over a top edge of the touch-screen.

18. Computer-readable memory devices as recited in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise initiating a display of a vertical scrollbar as the user interface component when the touch pull-in gesture crosses over a side edge of the touch-screen.

19. Computer-readable memory devices as recited in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise initiating a display of a hidden menu as the user interface component that gives the appearance of dragging the hidden menu onto the touch-screen for display.

20. Computer-readable memory devices as recited in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise detecting the expanding contact region as a progression of motion as the touch input remains in contact with the touch-screen.