Zero-click activation of an application

• US 8,957,854 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2012
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Coe, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US13/447,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20120194431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,037 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-169, 715/863
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method is described for activating an application without specific positioning of a mouse or clicking a mouse button (“zero-click activation”). This is done by evaluating motion of an input device with regard to predetermined criteria; detecting a rapid, multi-directional motion (a shaking motion) of the input device, and initiating a preconfigured application in response thereto. In an embodiment, the input device is a mouse, and the method is performed without actuating a button on the mouse. The preconfigured application may be a search function, and in particular may be a Web search invoked when a shaking action is detected while the user is viewing a Web site.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device comprising an input device and a display, a sensitivity level to determine that a jiggle motion has occurred compared with other motions, the jiggle motion associated with a random movement;

detecting, by the computing device, during interaction with a software application executing on the computing device, the jiggle motion of the input device detectable by detection software operating on the computing device;

detecting, by the computing device, the software application in use to determine a software operation to perform associated with the jiggle motion;

analyzing, by the computing device, the jiggle motion of the input device to determine if the motion of the input device meets predetermined motion criteria;

initiating, by the computing device, if the predetermined motion criteria are met, the software operation associated with the jiggle motion; and

not initiating the software operation if the predetermined motion criteria are not met.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detection software is in communication with the software application.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the software application comprises the detection software.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the software operation associated with the jiggle motion occurs within the software application.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the software operation associated with the jiggle motion is performed within a second software application.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the second software application is in communication with the detection software.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said software operation is a search function.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said software operation is a save function.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the save function is effective to save a document from a word-processing application to a preselected location.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising executable instructions tangibly stored thereon for performing a method, the method including the steps of:

receiving, by a computing device comprising an input device and a display, a sensitivity level to determine that a jiggle motion has occurred compared with other motions, the jiggle motion associated with a random movement;

detecting, by the computing device, during interaction with a software application executing on the computing device, the jiggle motion of the input device detectable by detection software operating on the computing device;

detecting, by the computing device, the software application in use to determine a software operation to perform associated with the jiggle motion;

analyzing, by the computing device, the jiggle motion of the input device to determine if the motion of the input device meets predetermined motion criteria;

initiating, by the computing device, if the predetermined motion criteria are met, the software operation associated with the jiggle motion; and

not initiating the software operation if the predetermined motion criteria are not met.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the detection software is in communication with the software application.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the software application comprises the detection software.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the software operation associated with the jiggle motion occurs within the software application.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the software operation associated with the jiggle motion is performed within a second software application.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the second software application is in communication with the detection software.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein said software operation is a search function.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein said software operation is a save function.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the save function is effective to save a document from a word-processing application to a preselected location.

19. A computing device comprising an input device and a display, the computing device comprising:

a data storage; and

a processor for executing instructions stored on the data storage, the instructions comprising;

receiving, by processor, a sensitivity level to determine that a jiggle motion has occurred compared with other motions, the jiggle motion associated with a random movement;

detecting, by the processor, during interaction with a software application executing on the computing device, the jiggle motion of the input device detectable by detection software operating on the computing device;

detecting, by the processor, the software application in use to determine a software operation to perform associated with the jiggle motion;

analyzing, by the processor, the jiggle motion of the input device to determine if the motion of the input device meets predetermined motion criteria;

initiating, by the processor, if the predetermined motion criteria are met, the software operation associated with the jiggle motion; and

not initiating the software operation if the predetermined motion criteria are not met.

20. The computing device according to claim 19, wherein the detection software is in communication with the software application.