Toggle gesture during drag gesture

• US 9,250,783 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2012
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lehrian, Matthew, Paine, Zachariah N., Hogan, Edward P. A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHREWSBURY, NATHAN K
• Application Number:
  US13/591,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20140059485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 715/802
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• 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

Methods and systems for providing input to a computing device based on a toggle gesture performed during a drag gesture are provided. A drag gesture can be performed on a touch screen to manipulate a user interface object. For example, the drag gesture can move the user interface object or resize the user interface object. Such manipulation commands may have alternate modes or options. For example, a user may want to place a copy of the user interface object rather than simply moving it. Accordingly, a toggle gesture can be performed during the drag gesture to choose an alternate manipulation command. For example, a drag gesture can be performed to move an object, and a toggle gesture can be performed during the drag gesture to copy the object instead of moving it.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

at a computing device including a display device and a touch-sensitive surface;

detecting a first touch input by a user on the touch-sensitive surface;

in response to detecting the first touch input, selecting a first command based on the first touch input, and displaying, on the display device, a preview of execution of the selected first command;

while continuing to detect the first touch input and while displaying the preview of execution of the selected first command, detecting a second touch input by the user on the touch-sensitive surface; and

in response to detecting the second touch input, modifying the selection of the first command based on the second touch input, and displaying, on the display device, a preview of execution of the selected first command as modified based on the second touch input.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a liftoff of the second touch input;

undoing the modifying the selection of the first command based on the liftoff of the second touch input;

detecting a liftoff of the first touch input; and

executing the first command based on the liftoff of the first touch input.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the selection of the first command includes selecting a second command, the method further comprising:

detecting a liftoff of the first touch input; and

executing the second command based on the liftoff of the first touch input.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

while continuing to detect the first touch input, detecting a third touch input by the user on the touch-sensitive surface; and

modifying the selection of the first command based on the third touch input.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the selection of the first command includes changing a parameter of the first command from a first value to a second value, the method further comprising:

detecting a liftoff of the first touch input; and

executing the first command with the second value as a parameter.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a distance between the second touch input and the first touch input; and

determining that the distance is less than a predetermined threshold distance;

wherein modifying the selection of the first command is further based on the determining that the distance is less than the predetermined threshold distance.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the second touch input is within a predefined location on the touch-sensitive surface;

wherein modifying the selection of the first command is further based on the determining that the second touch input is within the predefined location on the touch-sensitive surface.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a liftoff of the first touch input at a first liftoff time;

detecting a liftoff of the second touch input at a second liftoff time;

determining that the first liftoff time is within a predetermined temporal threshold after the second liftoff time; and

in response to the determining that the first liftoff time is within the predetermined temporal threshold after the second liftoff time, executing a command based on the modifying the selection of the first command.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first command includes one of move, copy, resize, rotate, sort, and insert.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein instructions, which when executed by a device having a display device and a touch-sensitive surface, cause the device to perform a method comprising:

detecting a first touch input by a user on the touch-sensitive surface;

in response to detecting the first touch input, selecting a first command based on the first touch input, and displaying, on the display device, a preview of execution of the selected first command;

while continuing to detect the first touch input and while displaying the preview of execution of the selected first command, detecting a second touch input by the user on the touch-sensitive surface; and

in response to detecting the second touch input, modifying the selection of the first command based on the second touch input, and displaying, on the display device, a preview of execution of the selected first command as modified based on the second touch input.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, the method further comprising:

detecting a liftoff of the second touch input;

undoing the modifying the selection of the first command based on the liftoff of the second touch input;

detecting a liftoff of the first touch input; and

executing the first command based on the liftoff of the first touch input.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein modifying the selection of the first command includes selecting a second command, the method further comprising:

detecting a liftoff of the first touch input; and

executing the second command based on the liftoff of the first touch input.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, the method further comprising:

while continuing to detect the first touch input, detecting a third touch input by the user on the touch-sensitive surface; and

modifying the selection of the first command based on the third touch input.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein modifying the selection of the first command includes changing a parameter of the first command from a first value to a second value, the method further comprising:

detecting a liftoff of the first touch input; and

executing the first command with the second value as a parameter.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, the method further comprising:

determining a distance between the second touch input and the first touch input; and

determining that the distance is less than a predetermined threshold distance;

wherein modifying the selection of the first command is further based on the determining that the distance is less than the predetermined threshold distance.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, the method further comprising:

determining that the second touch input is within a predefined location on the touch-sensitive surface;

wherein modifying the selection of the first command is further based on the determining that the second touch input is within the predefined location on the touch-sensitive surface.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, the method further comprising:

detecting a liftoff of the first touch input at a first liftoff time;

detecting a liftoff of the second touch input at a second liftoff time;

determining that the first liftoff time is within a predetermined temporal threshold after the second liftoff time; and

in response to the determining that the first liftoff time is within the predetermined temporal threshold after the second liftoff time, executing a command based on the modifying the selection of the first command.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first command includes one of move, copy, resize, rotate, sort, and insert.

19. An electronic device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive surface for receiving touch input;

a display device;

a processor to execute instructions; and

a memory coupled with the processor to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations to generate an application programming interface (API) that allows an API-calling component to perform the following operations;

detecting a first touch input by a user on the touch-sensitive surface;

in response to detecting the first touch input, selecting a first command based on the first touch input, and displaying, on the display device, a preview of execution of the selected first command;

while continuing to detect the first touch input and while displaying the preview of execution of the selected first command, detecting a second touch input by the user on the touch-sensitive surface; and

in response to detecting the second touch input, modifying the selection of the first command based on the second touch input, and displaying, on the display device, a preview of execution of the selected first command as modified based on the second touch input.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

detecting a liftoff of the second touch input;

undoing the modifying the selection of the first command based on the liftoff of the second touch input;

detecting a liftoff of the first touch input; and

executing the first command based on the liftoff of the first touch input.

21. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein modifying the selection of the first command includes selecting a second command, the operations further comprising:

detecting a liftoff of the first touch input; and

executing the second command based on the liftoff of the first touch input.

22. The electronic device of claim 21, the operations further comprising:

while continuing to detect the first touch input, detecting a third touch input by the user on the touch-sensitive surface; and

modifying the selection of the first command based on the third touch input.

23. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein modifying the selection of the first command includes changing a parameter of the first command from a first value to a second value, the operations further comprising:

detecting a liftoff of the first touch input; and

executing the first command with the second value as a parameter.

24. The electronic device of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

determining a distance between the second touch input and the first touch input; and

determining that the distance is less than a predetermined threshold distance;

wherein modifying the selection of the first command is further based on the determining that the distance is less than the predetermined threshold distance.

25. The electronic device of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

determining that the second touch input is within a predefined location on the touch-sensitive surface;

wherein modifying the selection of the first command is further based on the determining that the second touch input is within the predefined location on the touch-sensitive surface.