Target region for removing icons from dock

• US 9,501,217 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2011
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Louch, John O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatia, Ajay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chung, Mong-Shune
• Application Number:
  US13/112,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20120185789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,013 Days
• Field of Search: 715/769, 715/779
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Providing a mechanism for removal of icons from a dock in response to user input is disclosed. A dock is generated for display in a user interface, the dock comprising a region of the user interface in which one or more icons are presented. An input is received for selecting an icon presented in the dock, the icon associated with an original position in the user interface. A visual indicator of a particular distance to drag the icon before the icon will be removed from the dock is generated for display. A second input for releasing the icon at a second position in the user interface is received. The icon is removed from the dock if a distance between the second position and the original position is within a predefined range of the particular distance.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more processes executing on a computer system, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display, a dock in a user interface, the dock comprising a region of the user interface in which one or more icons are presented, wherein the icons in the dock are displayed proximate to a first edge of the display;

receiving a first input selecting an icon presented in the dock in order to drag the icon from the dock, the icon associated with an original position in the user interface;

in response to receiving the first input for selecting the icon, displaying, on the display, a visual indicator of a removal target position, wherein the visual indicator of the removal target position is displayed proximate to a second edge of the display that is different from the first edge of the display, and the icons in the dock other than the selected icon continue being displayed proximate to the first edge of the display while the visual indicator of the removal target position is displayed proximate to the second edge of the display;

receiving a second input releasing the icon at a second position in the user interface;

determining whether the second position is within a predefined range of the removal target position;

in accordance with a determination that the second position is within the predefined range of the removal target position, removing the icon from the display; and

in accordance with a determination that the second position is not within the predefined range of the removal target position, presenting the icon in the dock.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the removal target position is represented by a trash can icon.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the first input includes receiving an input for dragging the icon at an initial rate of movement.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising displaying movement of the icon at a rate of movement slower than the initial rate of movement within a predefined area surrounding the original location of the icon and displaying movement of the icon at the initial rate of movement if the icon is dragged outside the predefined area.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein dragging the icon is associated with displaying movement of the icon from the original position along a trajectory corresponding to a path traversed by a pointer in the user interface.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising altering a visual appearance of the icon while the icon is being dragged by the pointer.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising returning the visual appearance of the icon to an original appearance of the icon if the icon is returned to the original position.

12. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

further in accordance with the determination that the second position is within the predefined range of the removal target position, removing the visual indicator from the user interface.

15. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

after receiving at least a portion of the first input, displaying, on the display, a placeholder object on the dock that indicates a location of the icon in the dock prior to receiving the first input for selecting the icon.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the icon has a first shape, and the placeholder object has a second shape, the same as the first shape.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the placeholder object is displayed concurrently with the visual indicator of the removal target position.

8. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, generate on a display device a graphical user interface for presenting graphical objects and perform the following operations:

displaying, on a display, a dock in a user interface, the dock comprising a region of the user interface in which one or more icons are presented, wherein the icons in the dock are displayed proximate to a first edge of the display;

receiving a first input selecting an icon presented in the dock in order to drag the icon from the dock, the icon associated with an original position in the user interface;

in response to receiving the first input for selecting the icon, displaying, on the display, a visual indicator of a removal target position, wherein the visual indicator of the removal target position is displayed proximate to a second edge of the display that is different from the first edge of the display, and the icons in the dock other than the selected icon continue being displayed proximate to the first edge of the display while the visual indicator of the removal target position is displayed proximate to the second edge of the display;

receiving a second input releasing the icon at a second position in the user interface;

determining whether the second position is within a predefined range of the removal target position;

in accordance with a determination that the second position is within the predefined range of the removal target position, removing the icon from the display; and

in accordance with a determination that the second position is not within the predefined range of the removal target position, presenting the icon in the dock.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein receiving the first input includes receiving an input for dragging the icon at an initial rate of movement.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, the instructions further performing displaying movement of the icon at a rate of movement slower than the initial rate of movement within a predefined area surrounding the original location of the icon and displaying movement of the icon at the initial rate of movement if the icon is dragged outside the predefined area.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, the instructions further performing:

further in accordance with the determination that the second position is within the predefined range of the removal target position, removing the visual indicator from the user interface.

11. A system comprising:

a display device;

a computing device in communication with the display device, wherein the computing device is configured to perform at least the following;

display, on the display device, a dock in a user interface, the dock comprising a region of the user interface in which one or more icons are presented, wherein the icons in the dock are displayed proximate to a first edge of the display;

receive a first input selecting an icon presented in the dock in order to drag the icon from the dock, the icon associated with an original position in the user interface;

in response to receiving the first input for selecting the icon, display, on the display device, a visual indicator of a removal target position, wherein the visual indicator of the removal target position is displayed proximate to a second edge of the display that is different from the first edge of the display, and the icons in the dock other than the selected icon continue being displayed proximate to the first edge of the display while the visual indicator of the removal target position is displayed proximate to the second edge of the display;

receive a second input releasing the icon at a second position in the user interface;

determine whether the second position is within a predefined range of the removal target position;

in accordance with a determination that the second position is within the predefined range of the removal target position, remove the icon from the display; and

in accordance with a determination that the second position is not within the predefined range of the removal target position, present the icon in the dock.

14. The system of claim 11, the computing device further configured to perform:

further in accordance with the determination that the second position is within the predefined range of the removal target position, remove the visual indicator from the user interface.