Application programming interfaces for gesture operations

• US 9,529,519 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Blumenberg, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): DAO, TUAN C.
• Application Number:
  US13/251,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20120023460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,915 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites

Abstract

At least certain embodiments of the present disclosure include an environment with user interface software interacting with a software application to provide gesture operations for a display of a device. A method for operating through an application programming interface (API) in this environment includes transferring a scaling transform call. The gesture operations include performing a scaling transform such as a zoom in or zoom out in response to a user input having two or more input points. The gesture operations also include performing a rotation transform to rotate an image or view in response to a user input having two or more input points.

Claims

1. A method performed by an electronic device having a display of multiple views of a software application, the method comprising:

in response to a user input comprising two or more concurrent finger touch inputs, transferring a scaling transform function call for a scaling transform of a view of the multiple views of the software application, through an application programming interface, from user interface software to the view, of the multiple views of the software application, associated with the user input; and

,

in accordance with the transferring of the scaling transform function call, performing the scaling transform, including a zoom in or zoom out, of the view of the multiple views of the software application, including performing the scaling transform from a minimum scale factor to a maximum scale factor,

wherein performing the scaling transform varies a scale factor of the view from the minimum scale factor to the maximum scale factor based on a flag being disabled; and

wherein performing the scaling transform varies the scale factor of the view from the minimum scale factor to exceed the maximum scale factor based on the flag being enabled prior to snapping back the scale factor of the view to the maximum scale factor.

2. The method of claim 1, including:

in response to the user input comprising two more concurrent finger touch inputs;

transferring a start scaling gesture function call through the application programming interface between the user interface software and the software application;

transferring a scaling gesture progress function call through the application programming interface between the user interface software and the software application; and

transferring a scaling gesture end function call through the application programming interface between the user interface software and the software application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the scaling transform function call is either one of issuing, initiating, invoking and receiving the scaling transform function call.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is one of:

a data processing device, a portable device, a portable data processing device, a multi touch device, a multi touch portable device, a wireless device, and a cell phone.

5. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing executable program instructions, which, when executed, cause an electronic device having a display of multiple views of a software application to perform a method comprising:

in response to a user input comprising two or more concurrent finger touch inputs, transferring a scaling transform function call for a scaling transform of a view of the multiple views of the software application, through an application programming interface, from user interface software to the view, of the multiple views of the software application, associated with the user input; and

,

in accordance with the transferring of the scaling transform function call, performing the scaling transform, including a zoom in or zoom out, of the view of the multiple views of the software application, including performing the scaling transform from a minimum scale factor to a maximum scale factor,

wherein performing the scaling transform varies a scale factor of the view from the minimum to the maximum scale factor based on a flag being disabled; and

wherein performing the scaling transform varies the scale factor of the view from the minimum to exceed the maximum scale factor based on the flag being enabled prior to snapping back the scale factor of the view to the maximum scale factor.

6. The medium of claim 5, wherein the program instructions cause the electronic device to perform:

in response to the user input comprising two more concurrent finger touch inputs;

transferring a start scaling gesture function call through the application programming interface between the user interface software and the software application;

transferring a scaling gesture progress function call through the application programming interface between the user interface software and the software application; and

transferring a scaling gesture end function call through the application programming interface between the user interface software and the software application.

7. The medium of claim 5, wherein transferring the scaling transform function call is either one of issuing, initiating, invoking and receiving the scaling transform function call.

8. The medium of claim 5, wherein the electronic device is one of:

a data processing device, a portable device, a portable data processing device, a multi touch device, a multi touch portable device, a wireless device, and a cell phone.

9. An electronic device for performing gesture operations, comprising:

a processor coupled to an input panel; and

a memory, coupled to the processor, storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the processor, the one or more programs including;

instructions for, in response to a user input comprising two or more concurrent finger touch inputs, transferring a scaling transform function call for a scaling transform of a view of multiple views of a software application, through an application programming interface, from user interface software to the view, of the multiple views of the software application, associated with the user input; and

instructions for, in accordance with the transferring of the scaling transform function call, performing the scaling transform, including a zoom in or zoom out, of the view of the multiple views of the software application, including performing the scaling transform from a minimum scale factor to a maximum scale factor,

wherein performing the scaling transform varies a scale factor of the view from the minimum to the maximum scale factor based on a snapback flag being disabled; and

wherein performing the scaling transform varies the scale factor of the view from the minimum to exceed the maximum scale factor based on the snapback flag being enabled prior to snapping back the scale factor of the view to the maximum scale factor.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein transferring the scaling transform function call is either one of issuing, initiating, invoking or receiving the scaling transform function call.

11. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the one or more programs include:

instructions for, in response to the user input comprising two more concurrent finger touch inputs, transferring a start scaling gesture function call through the application programming interface between the user interface software and the software application;

instructions for, in response to the user input comprising two more concurrent finger touch inputs, transferring a scaling gesture progress function call through the application programming interface between the user interface software and the software application; and

instructions for, in response to the user input comprising two more concurrent finger touch inputs, transferring a scaling gesture end function call through the application programming interface between the user interface software and the software application.

12. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the electronic device is one of:

a data processing device, a portable device, a portable data processing device, a multi touch device, a multi touch portable device, a wireless device, and a cell phone.