Copy and staple gestures

• US 9,411,504 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2010
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hinckley, Kenneth P., Yatani, Koji, Pahud, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang-Hurst, Kathy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilson, Douglas M
• Application Number:
  US12/695,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20110181524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,385 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178
• 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 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• 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

Abstract

Techniques involving gestures and other functionality are described. In one or more implementations, the techniques describe gestures that are usable to provide inputs to a computing device. A variety of different gestures are contemplated, including bimodal gestures (e.g., using more than one type of input) and single modal gestures. Additionally, the gesture techniques may be configured to leverage these different input types to increase the amount of gestures that are made available to initiate operations of a computing device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

recognizing a first touch input within a bounds of an object displayed by a display device as selecting the displayed object, where the selecting first touch input is a single touch input;

recognizing a second touch input as movement from within the bounds of the selected object to outside the bounds of the selected object;

identifying a copy gesture from the recognized first and second touch inputs and a velocity of the movement, the copy gesture effective to cause a display of a copy of the selected object to follow subsequent movement of a source of the second touch input while the selected object is displayed;

canceling, in response to the second touch input moving from past a threshold distance to a distance less than the threshold distance, the identified copy gesture; and

displaying, via the display device in response to not canceling the identified copy gesture, the copy of the selected object.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein an attachment point of the second touch input to the selected object remains constant during the display of the copy of the selected object as following the subsequent movement of the source of the second touch input.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the copy gesture is effective to continue the display of the copy of the selected object as following the subsequent movement of the source even when the selection of the object caused by an input device used to provide the first touch input no longer indicates the selection during the subsequent movement.

4. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

recognizing, after displaying the copy of the selected object, a third touch input as movement from within the bounds of the selected object to outside the bounds of the selected object; and

identifying a second copy gesture from the recognized first and third touch inputs, the second copy gesture effective to cause a display of a second copy of the selected object to follow subsequent movement of a source of the third touch input.

5. A method comprising:

recognizing a first touch input as selecting a first object displayed by a display device;

recognizing a second touch input as provided subsequent to the first touch input and as a hold of a second object displayed by the display device;

recognizing a third touch input as a tap of the displayed second object during the hold of the displayed second object; and

identifying a staple gesture from the first, second, and third touch inputs, the staple gesture effective to cause a collated display of the selected first object as beneath the held second object.

6. A method as described in claim 5, wherein:

the first touch input is recognized as selecting a plurality of said objects; and

the staple gesture is effective to cause a collated display of the plurality of said selected objects.

7. A method as described in claim 5, further comprising:

recognizing a fourth touch input as involving selection of the collated display of the first object as beneath the second object; and

identifying a gesture from the fourth touch input that is effective to change the collated display of the first object as beneath the second object.

8. A method as described in claim 5, wherein the collated display of the first object as beneath the second object includes an indication that the first and second objects are stapled together.

9. A method as described in claim 5, further comprising identifying a second staple gesture that is effective to cause a collated display of a third object as beneath a fourth object.

10. A method as described in claim 9, further comprising identifying a third staple gesture that is effective to cause a collated display of the first, second, third, and fourth objects.

11. A system comprising:

a touchscreen via which the system recognizes a first touch input within a bounds of an object displayed by a display device of the touchscreen as selecting the displayed object, where the selecting first touch input is a single touch input;

the touchscreen via which the system recognizes a second touch input as movement from within the bounds of the selected object to outside the bounds of the selected object;

one or more processors via which the system identifies a copy gesture from the recognized first and second touch inputs and a velocity of the movement, the copy gesture effective to cause a display of a copy of the selected object to follow subsequent movement of a source of the second touch input while the selected object is displayed;

the one or more processors via which the system cancels, in response to the second touch input moving from past a threshold distance to a distance less than the threshold distance, the identified copy gesture; and

the display device via which the system displays, in response to the system not canceling the identified copy gesture, the copy of the selected object.

12. A system as described in claim 11, wherein an attachment point of the second touch input to the selected object remains constant during the display of the copy of the selected object as following the subsequent movement of the source of the second touch input.

13. A system as described in claim 11, wherein the copy gesture is effective to continue the display of the copy of the selected object as following the subsequent movement of the source even when the selection of the object caused by an input device used to provide the first touch input no longer indicates the selection during the subsequent movement.

14. A system as described in claim 11 further comprising:

the touchscreen via which the system recognizes, after the copy of the selected object is displayed, a third touch input as movement from within the bounds of the selected object to outside the bounds of the selected object; and

the one or more processors via which the system identifies a second copy gesture from the recognized first and third touch inputs, the second copy gesture effective to cause a display of a second copy of the selected object to follow subsequent movement of a source of the third touch input.