Devices, methods, and graphical user interfaces for displaying and using menus

• US 9,645,732 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2015
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Butcher, Gary I., Foss, Christopher P., Sepulveda, Raymond S., Perry, Alexander J., Coffman, Patrick L., Kudurshian, Aram David, Bray, Cdric J., Hajj, Usama M.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEGGETT, ANDREA C.
• Application Number:
  US14/866,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20160259495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 590 Days
• Field of Search: 715834
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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 3/04845 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 3/0488 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

Abstract

An electronic device: displays, on a display, a user interface that includes one or more user interface elements; and detects a press input by a contact on a touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to a respective user interface element. In response to detecting the press input, the device: if the respective user interface meets first action criteria including a criterion that the respective user interface element is associated with a single option associated with the press input, initiates performance of an action corresponding to the single option; and, if the respective user interface element meets second action criteria including a criterion that the respective user interface element is associated with a first number of options associated with the press input, where the first number is greater than one, displays a first menu overlaid on the user interface with a first set of selectable options.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface, wherein the electronic device includes one or more sensors to detect intensities of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface;

displaying, on the display, a user interface that includes one or more user interface elements;

detecting a press input by a contact on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to a first user interface element of the one or more user interface elements; and

,

in response to detecting the press input;

in accordance with a determination that the press input is a press input of a first type and meets first activation criteria, wherein the first activation criteria require that the contact has a characteristic intensity above a first intensity threshold and below a second intensity threshold, performing a first action;

in accordance with a determination that the press input is a press input of a second type and meets second activation criteria, wherein the second activation criteria require that

the characteristic intensity of the contact meets the second intensity threshold,

the first user interface element meets second action criteria, and

the second action criteria include a criterion that the first user interface element has a single option associated with the press input of the second type, initiating performance of a second action that corresponds to the single option and is different from the first action; and

,

in accordance with a determination that the press input is a press input of the second type and meets intensity-based activation criteria and that the first user interface element meets third action criteria, the third action criteria including a criterion that the first user interface element has a first number of options associated with the press input of the second type, wherein the first number is greater than one, displaying a first menu overlaid on the user interface, wherein the first menu includes a first set of selectable options.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the third action criteria include a criterion that the user interface element is associated with a first number of options associated with the press input of the second type, wherein the first number is greater than one and less than a first threshold number of options.

3. The method of claim 1, including:

in response to detecting the press input;

in accordance with a determination that the respective user interface element meets fourth action criteria, the fourth action criteria including a criterion that the user interface element is associated with a second number of options associated with the press input of the second type, wherein the second number is greater than a second threshold number of options, displaying a second menu, distinct from the first menu, overlaid on the user interface, wherein the second menu includes a second set of selectable options.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first set of selectable options in the first menu is a subset of the second set of selectable options in the second menu.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective user interface element corresponds to a portion of an electronic document;

wherein performing the action that corresponds to the single option includes;

in accordance with a determination that the portion of the electronic document does not include data detected links, displaying a first additional user interface element overlaid on the electronic document with one or more selectable options that correspond to the portion of the electronic document; and

,

in accordance with a determination that the portion of the electronic document includes a data detected link, displaying a second additional user interface element, distinct from the first additional user interface element, for the data detected link.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first menu is a radial menu with two or more distinct portions that is located on the display at a location that corresponds to a location of the contact in the press input on the touch sensitive surface.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the radial menu includes two halves each comprising a distinct, unitary region forming half of the radial menu.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the radial menu includes four quadrants each comprising a distinct, unitary region forming a quarter of the radial menu.

9. The method of claim 6, including:

detecting a selection input that selects a respective portion of the first menu; and

,

in response to detecting the selection input, initiating performance of an action that corresponds to the selected respective portion of the first menu.

10. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

a touch-sensitive surface;

one or more sensors to detect intensities of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

displaying, on the display, a user interface that includes one or more user interface elements;

detecting a press input by a contact on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to a first user interface element of the one or more user interface elements; and

,

in response to detecting the press input;

in accordance with a determination that the press input is a press input of a first type and meets first activation criteria, wherein the first activation criteria require that the contact has a characteristic intensity above a first intensity threshold and below a second intensity threshold, performing a first action;

in accordance with a determination that the pre input is a press input of second type and meets second activation criteria, wherein the second activation criteria require that

the characteristic intensity of the contact meets the second intensity threshold,

the first user interface element meets second action criteria, and

the second action criteria include a criterion that the first user interface element has a single option associated with the press input of the second type, initiating performance of a second action that corresponds to the single option and is different from the first action; and

,

in accordance with a determination that the press input is a press input of the second type and meets intensity-based activation criteria and that the first user interface element meets third action criteria, the third action criteria including a criterion that the first user interface element has a first number of options associated with the press input of the second type, wherein the first number is greater than one, displaying a first menu overlaid on the user interface, wherein the first menu includes a first set of selectable options.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the third action criteria include a criterion that the user interface element is associated with a first number of options associated with the press input of the second type, wherein the first number is greater than one and less than a first threshold number of options.

12. The device of claim 10, including instructions for:

in response to detecting the press input;

in accordance with a determination that the respective user interface element meets fourth action criteria, the fourth action criteria including a criterion that the user interface element is associated with a second number of options associated with the press input of the second type, wherein the second number is greater than a second threshold number of options, displaying a second menu, distinct from the first menu, overlaid on the user interface, wherein the second menu includes a second set of selectable options.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the first set of selectable options in the first menu is a subset of the second set of selectable options in the second menu.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the respective user interface element corresponds to a portion of an electronic document;

wherein performing the action that corresponds to the single option includes;

in accordance with a determination that the portion of the electronic document does not include data detected links, displaying a first additional user interface element overlaid on the electronic document with one or more selectable options that correspond to the portion of the electronic document; and

,

in accordance with a determination that the portion of the electronic document includes a data detected link, displaying a second additional user interface element, distinct from the first additional user interface element, for the data detected link.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein the first menu is a radial menu with two or more distinct portions that is located on the display at a location that corresponds to a location of the contact in the press input on the touch sensitive surface.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the radial menu includes two halves each comprising a distinct, unitary region forming half of the radial menu.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the radial menu includes four quadrants each comprising a distinct, unitary region forming a quarter of the radial menu.

18. The device of claim 15, including instructions for:

detecting a selection input that selects a respective portion of the first menu; and

,

in response to detecting the selection input, initiating performance of an action that corresponds to the selected respective portion of the first menu.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by an electronic device with a display, a touch-sensitive surface and one or more sensors to detect intensities of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface, cause the electronic device to:

display, on the display, a user interface that includes one or more user interface elements;

detect a press input by a contact on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to a first user interface element of the one or more user interface elements; and

,

in response to detecting the press input;

in accordance with a determination that the press input is a press input of a first type and meets first activation criteria, wherein the first activation criteria require that the contact has a characteristic intensity above a first intensity threshold and below a second intensity threshold, perform a first action;

in accordance with a determination that the press input is a press input of a second type and meet second activation criteria, wherein the second activation criteria require that

the characteristic intensity of the contact meets the second intensity threshold,

the first user interface element meets second action criteria, and

the second action criteria include a criterion that the first user interface element has a single option associated with the press input of the second type, initiate performance of a second action that corresponds to the single option and is different from the first action; and

,

in accordance with a determination that the press input is press input of the second type and meets intensity-based activation criteria and that the first user interface element meets third action criteria, the third action criteria including a criterion that the first user interface element has a first number of options associated with the press input of the second type, wherein the first number is greater than one, display a first menu overlaid on the user interface, wherein the first menu includes a first set of selectable options.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the third action criteria include a criterion that the user interface element is associated with a first number of options associated with the press input of the second type, wherein the first number is greater than one and less than a first threshold number of options.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, including instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

in response to detecting the press input;

in accordance with a determination that the respective user interface element meets fourth action criteria, the fourth action criteria including a criterion that the user interface element is associated with a second number of options associated with the press input of the second type, wherein the second number is greater than a second threshold number of options, display a second menu, distinct from the first menu, overlaid on the user interface, wherein the second menu includes a second set of selectable options.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the first set of selectable options in the first menu is a subset of the second set of selectable options in the second menu.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the respective user interface element corresponds to a portion of an electronic document;

wherein performing the action that corresponds to the single option includes;

in accordance with a determination that the portion of the electronic document does not include data detected links, displaying a first additional user interface element overlaid on the electronic document with one or more selectable options that correspond to the portion of the electronic document; and

,

in accordance with a determination that the portion of the electronic document includes a data detected link, displaying a second additional user interface element, distinct from the first additional user interface element, for the data detected link.

24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the first menu is a radial menu with two or more distinct portions that is located on the display at a location that corresponds to a location of the contact in the press input on the touch sensitive surface.

25. The computer readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the radial menu includes two halves each comprising a distinct, unitary region forming half of the radial menu.

26. The computer readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein the radial menu includes four quadrants each comprising a distinct, unitary region forming a quarter of the radial menu.

27. The computer readable storage medium of claim 24, including instructions, which when executed by the electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

detect a selection input that selects a respective portion of the first menu; and

,

in response to detecting the selection input, initiate performance of an action that corresponds to the selected respective portion of the first menu.