Method and apparatus for intuitive wrapping of lists in a user interface

• US 9,182,897 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2011
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Rogers, Sean S., Horodezky, Samuel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Theriault, Steven B
• Application Number:
  US13/092,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20120272181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,663 Days
• Field of Search: 715/784, 715/810, 715/830
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

The methods and devices of the various aspects provide a visual indication in a graphical user interface that a document boundary is or will soon be reached, and a mechanism for wrapping the list on the display so that it appears to snap to the other end of the list (i.e., from beginning to end if scrolling up, or end to beginning if scrolling down) when sufficient user input is applied. The displayed snap to the end or beginning of the list may also be implemented in response to a momentum list scroll initiated by a flick gesture when the momentum scroll would otherwise scroll the list a threshold distance beyond a list boundary.

Claims

1. A method for animating movement of content having content end boundaries within a display window of a computing device in response to a user input, comprising:

receiving a content display movement user input in the computing device;

initiating a scroll animation of the content in the display window;

determining an end location of a content movement based upon the user input;

determining whether the end location of the content movement would cause a content end boundary of the content not yet displayed to come within a first threshold distance of an edge of the display window;

modifying the scroll animation of the content to indicate the content end boundary is about to be reached when the content end boundary of the content not yet displayed is determined to be within the first threshold distance of the edge of the display window;

determining whether the determined end location of the content movement reaches the content end boundary;

determining whether the determined end location of the content movement would extend a display of the content end boundary a second threshold distance from the edge of the display window upon determining that the end location of the content movement reaches the content end boundary;

snapping an element of the content on a current side of the content end boundary to the display window in response to determining that the content display movement user input has ceased and that the determined end location of the content movement would not extend beyond the second threshold distance from the edge of the display window; and

snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content end boundary to the display window so as to wrap the content in response to determining that the content display movement user input has ceased and that the determined end location of the content movement would extend beyond the second threshold distance from the edge of the display window, wherein snapping the element of the content on the opposite side of the content end boundary to the display comprises stretching a display element to provide a visual indication of wrapping of the content, and wherein the snapping an element of the content on the opposite side of the content end boundary occurs after the content display movement user input has ceased and before any additional user input is received.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a content display movement user input in the computing device comprises receiving an input in response to a user finger drag on a touch screen display, the method further comprising determining whether the user finger is no longer in contact with the touch screen display, and wherein determining whether the determined end location of the content movement would extend a display of the content end boundary the second threshold distance from an edge of the display window and snapping the element of the content to the display occurs in response to the user ceasing the user input.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating a momentum scroll animation of the content in the display window based upon a flick gesture input from the touch screen display,

wherein receiving a content display movement user input in the computing device comprises receiving the flick gesture input on a touch screen display, and

wherein determining an end location of a content movement based upon the user input comprises determining the end location of the content movement that will be reached in response to determining that the momentum scroll animation is completed.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising accelerating the momentum scroll animation as the content end boundary approaches the edge of the display window prior to snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content end boundary to the display window in response to determining that the determined end location of the content movement would extend beyond the second threshold distance from the edge of the display window.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is an electronic book, and the element is a page of the electronic book.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first threshold distance is one third of the display window.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the scroll animation of the content comprises changing a ratio of the scroll animation to the content display movement user input.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the scroll animation of the content comprises shaking the display window.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the scroll animation of the content comprises shading the content.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing haptic feedback when the content end boundary of the content not yet displayed is determined to be within the first threshold distance of the edge of the display window.

11. A computing device, comprising:

a display;

a user interface; and

a processor coupled to the display and the user interface, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving a content display movement user input from the user interface;

initiating a scroll animation on the display of content based upon the content display movement user input from the user interface, wherein the content has content end boundaries;

determining an end location of a content movement based upon the user input;

determining whether the end location of the content movement would cause a content end boundary of the content not yet displayed to come within a first threshold distance of an edge of the display;

modifying the scroll animation of the content to indicate the content end boundary is about to be reached when the content end boundary of the content not yet displayed is determined to be within the first threshold distance of the edge of the display;

determining whether the determined end location of the content movement reaches the content end boundary;

determining whether the determined end location of the content movement would extend a display of the content end boundary a second threshold distance from the edge of the display upon determining that the end location of the content movement reaches the content end boundary;

snapping an element of the content on a current side of the content end boundary to the display in response to determining that the content display movement user input has ceased and that the determined end location of the content movement would not extend beyond the second threshold distance from the edge of the display; and

snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content end boundary to the display so as to wrap the content in response to determining that the content display movement user input has ceased and that the determined end location of the content movement would extend beyond the second threshold distance from the edge of the display, wherein snapping the element of the content on an opposite side of the content end boundary to the display comprises stretching of a display element to provide a visual indication of wrapping of the content, and wherein the snapping an element of the content on the opposite side of the content end boundary occurs after the content display movement user input has ceased and before any additional user input is received.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the display and the user interface are a touch screen display, and wherein the processor is configured such that:

receiving a content display movement user input from the user interface comprises receiving an input in response to a user finger drag on the touch screen display; and

determining whether the determined end location of the content movement would extend a display of the content end boundary the second threshold distance from an edge of the display and snapping the element of the content to the display occurs in response to the user ceasing the user input,

wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising determining whether the user finger is no longer in contact with the touch screen display.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the display and the user interface are a touch screen display, and wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising initiating a momentum scroll animation, wherein:

receiving a content display movement user input from the user interface comprises receiving a flick gesture input on the touch screen display; and

determining an end location of a content movement based upon the user input comprises determining the end location of the content movement that will be reached in response to determining that the momentum scroll animation is completed.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising accelerating the momentum scroll animation as the content end boundary approaches the edge of the touch screen display prior to snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content end boundary to the display in response to determining that the determined end location of the content movement would extend beyond the second threshold distance from the edge of the touch screen display.

15. A computing device, comprising:

a display;

means for receiving a content display movement user input;

means for initiating a scroll animation on the display of content based upon the content display movement user input, wherein the content has content end boundaries;

means for determining an end location of a content movement based upon the user input;

means for determining whether the end location of the content movement would cause a content end boundary of the content not yet displayed to come within a first threshold distance of an edge of the display;

means for modifying the scroll animation of the content to indicate the content end boundary is about to be reached when the content end boundary of the content not yet displayed is determined to be within the first threshold distance of the edge of the display;

means for determining whether the determined end location of the content movement reaches the content end boundary;

means for determining whether the determined end location of the content movement would extend a display of the content end boundary a second threshold distance from the edge of the display upon determining that the end location of the content movement reaches the content end boundary;

means for snapping an element of the content on a current side of the content end boundary to the display in response to determining that the content display movement user input has ceased and that the determined end location of the content movement would not extend beyond the second threshold distance from the edge of the display; and

means for snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content end boundary to the display so as to wrap the content in response to determining that the content display movement user input has ceased and that the determined end location of the content movement would extend beyond the second threshold distance from the edge of the display, wherein the means for snapping the element of the content on an opposite side of the content end boundary to the display comprises means for stretching of a display element to provide a visual indication of wrapping of the content, and wherein snapping the element of the content on the opposite side of the content end boundary occurs after the content display movement user input has ceased and before any additional user input is received.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the display and means for receiving a content display movement user input comprise a touch screen display, the computing device further comprising means for determining whether a user finger is no longer in contact with the touch screen display,

wherein:

means for receiving a content display movement user input in the computing device comprises means for receiving an input in response to a user finger drag on the touch screen display; and

means for snapping an element of the content on a current side of the content end boundary to the display and means for snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content end boundary to the display comprise means for determining whether the determined end location of the content movement would extend a display of the content end boundary the second threshold distance from an edge of the display window and snapping the element of the content to the display in response to the user ceasing the user input.

17. The computing device of claim 15, further comprising means for initiating a momentum scroll animation, wherein:

means for receiving a content display movement user input in the computing device comprises means for receiving a flick gesture input on a touch screen display; and

means for determining an end location of a content movement based upon the user input comprises means for determining the end location of the content movement that will be reached in response to determining that the momentum scroll animation is completed.

18. The computing device of claim 17, further comprising means for accelerating the momentum scroll animation as the content end boundary approaches the edge of the display prior to snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content end boundary to the display in response to determining that the determined end location of the content movement would extend beyond the second threshold distance from the edge of the display.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a computer processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a content display movement user input;

initiating a scroll animation of content in a display window, wherein the content comprises content end boundaries;

determining an end location of a content movement based upon the user input;

determining whether the end location of the content movement would cause a content end boundary of the content not yet displayed to come within a first threshold distance of an edge of the display window;

modifying the scroll animation of the content to indicate the content end boundary is about to be reached when the content end boundary of the content not yet displayed is determined to be within the first threshold distance of the edge of the display window;

determining whether the determined end location of the content movement reaches the content end boundary;

determining whether the determined end location of the content movement would extend a display of the content end boundary a second threshold distance from the edge of the display window upon determining that the end location of the content movement reaches the content end boundary;

snapping an element of the content on a current side of the content end boundary to the display window in response to determining that the content display movement user input has ceased and that the determined end location of the content movement would not extend beyond the second threshold distance from the edge of the display window; and

snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content end boundary to the display window so as to wrap the content in response to determining that the content display movement user input has ceased and that the determined end location of the content movement would extend beyond the second threshold distance from the edge of the display window, wherein snapping the element of the content on an opposite side of the content end boundary to the display comprises stretching of a display element to provide a visual indication of wrapping of the content, and wherein the snapping an element of the content on the opposite side of the content end boundary occurs after the content display movement user input has ceased and before any additional user input is received.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a computer processor to perform operations such that:

receiving a content display movement user input comprises receiving an input in response to a user finger drag on a touch screen display; and

determining whether the determined end location of the content movement would extend a display of the content end boundary the second threshold distance from an edge of the display window and snapping the element of the content to the display occurs in response to the user ceasing the user input,

wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a computer processor to perform operations further comprising determining whether the user finger is no longer in contact with the touch screen display.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a computer processor to perform operations such that:

receiving a content display movement user input comprises receiving a flick gesture input on a touch screen display;

initiating a momentum scroll animation of the content in the touch screen display in response to the flick gesture input; and

determining an end location of a content movement based upon the user input comprises determining the end location of the content movement that will be reached in response to determining that the momentum scroll animation is completed.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a computer processor to perform operations further comprising:

accelerating the momentum scroll animation as the content end boundary approaches the edge of the touch screen display prior to snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content end boundary to the touch screen display in response to determining that the determined end location of the content movement would extend beyond the second threshold distance from the edge of the touch screen display.