Devices, methods, and graphical user interfaces for touch input processing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10409477-B2
Application number	US-201815917467-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2018
Priority date	May 16, 2017
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

An electronic device, while displaying a user interface for a first application, receives at the first application information that describes a first touch detected at a location on the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to a respective user interface object. In accordance with a determination that the first touch meets predefined criteria associated with initiating a respective type of interface operation, the device initiates a user interface operation of the respective type involving the respective user interface object. The first application receives instructions to ignore the first touch with respect to user interface operations other than the respective type of interface operation, and ignores the first touch with respect to user interface operations other than the respective type of interface operation. In some embodiments, the respective type of interface operation is a drag operation, for dragging an object in or from a view of the first application.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
at an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface:
displaying, on the display, a user interface for a first application that includes a plurality of user interface objects;
while displaying the user interface for the first application, processing touch information to determine whether to provide touch information to a first application or a second application, including:
receiving information that describes a respective touch, wherein the respective touch is detected at a location on the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to a respective user interface object of the plurality of user interface objects in the user interface for the first application and moves outside of a region corresponding to the user interface for the first application into a region corresponding to a user interface for a second application; and

in response to receiving the information that describes the respective touch:
in accordance with a determination that the respective touch does not meet predefined criteria associated with initiating a respective type of interface operation, providing to the first application information that describes the respective touch while the respective touch is within the region corresponding to the user interface for the first application and that describes the respective touch when the respective touch moves outside of the region corresponding to the user interface for the first application and into the region corresponding to the user interface for the second application; and
in accordance with a determination that the respective touch meets the predefined criteria associated with initiating the respective type of interface operation:
initiating a user interface operation of the respective type involving the respective user interface object; and
while the respective touch continues to be detected on the touch-sensitive surface and while the user interface operation involving the respective user interface object continues:
 receiving, at the first application, instructions to ignore the respective touch with respect to user interface operations other than the respective type of interface operation;
 ignoring, by the first application, the respective touch with respect to user interface operations other than the respective type of interface operation;
 providing to the first application information that describes the respective touch while the respective touch is within the region corresponding to the user interface for the first application; and
 switching to providing to the second application information that describes the respective touch when the respective touch moves outside of the region corresponding to the user interface for the first application and into the region corresponding to the user interface for the second application; and

repeating the processing of touch information for two or more different respective touches including for a first touch that does not meet the predefined criteria associated with initiating the respective type of interface operation and for another touch that meets the predefined criteria associated with initiating the respective type of interface operation.

2. The method of claim 1 , including:
prior to determining that the respective touch meets the predefined criteria associated with initiating the respective type of interface operation, processing the respective touch as a view-attached touch event; and,
in accordance with the determination that the respective touch meets the predefined criteria associated with initiating the respective type of interface operation, processing the respective touch as a detached touch event.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to determining that the respective touch meets the predefined criteria associated with initiating the respective type of interface operation, processing the respective touch using one or more gesture recognizers associated with the first application as a view-attached touch event; and,
in accordance with the determination that the first user input satisfies the predefined criteria associated with initiating the respective type of interface operation:
ceasing to process the respective touch using the one or more gesture recognizers associated with the first application as a view-attached touch event; and
processing the respective touch as a detached touch event.

4. The method of claim 1 , including:
while the user interface operation involving the respective user interface object continues, receiving information that describes a change in a second touch on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to the first application; and
in response to detecting the change in the second touch, processing the information that describes the change in the second touch using one or more gesture recognizers associated with the first application without regard to the respective touch.

5. The method of claim 1 , including, while detecting movement of the respective touch, and in accordance with the determination that the respective touch meets the predefined criteria associated with initiating the respective type of interface operation:
determining one or more respective regions corresponding to respective locations of the respective touch, wherein the one or more respective regions are associated with one or more respective applications; and
providing information that describes the respective touch to the respective application for a respective region while the respective touch is within the respective region.

6. The method of claim 1 , including, in accordance with the determination that the respective touch meets the predefined criteria associated with initiating the respective type of interface operation, providing the information that describes the respective touch to the respective application for a respective region in conjunction with providing information that describes one or more additional touches that do not meet the predefined criteria associated with initiating the respective type of interface operation.

7. The method of claim 1 , including:
while the respective touch continues to be detected on the touch-sensitive surface and while the user interface operation involving the respective user interface object continues:
receiving, at the first application, information that describes a second touch distinct from the respective touch; and
in response to receiving the information that describes the second touch:
in accordance with a determination that the second touch meets predefined add criteria associated with the user interface operation:
receiving, at the first application, instructions to ignore the second touch with respect to user interface operations other than the respective type of interface operation; and
ignoring, by the first application, the second touch with respect to user interface operations other than the respective type of interface operation.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the predefined add criteria include a criterion that is met when a distance between the respective touch and the second touch is less than a predefined proximity threshold.

9. The method of claim 1 , including:
while displaying the user interface for the first application, receiving, at the first application, information that describes a third touch detected at a location on the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to a third respective user interface object of the plurality of user interface objects in the first application; and,
in response to receiving the information that describes the third touch:
in accordance with a determination that the third touch meets the predefined criteria associated with i

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Nilo Bruce D
• Thomas Christopher K
• Wagner Dominik
• Turner Michael T

Classifications

• G06F3/0488 Primary

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title

• G06F3/0484

  for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range · CPC title

• G06F3/0481 Primary

  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 title

• G06F3/04845

  for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour · CPC title

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title