Device, method, and graphical user interface for switching between user interfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12135871-B2
Application number	US-202217875307-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2022
Priority date	Dec 29, 2012
Publication date	Nov 5, 2024
Grant date	Nov 5, 2024

Abstract

An electronic device displays a first user interface that corresponds to a first application, and detects on a touch-sensitive surface a first gesture that includes movement of a contact in a respective direction on the touch-sensitive surface. In response to detecting the first gesture, the device, in accordance with a determination that the movement of the contact is in a first direction, replaces display of the first user interface with display of a second user interface that corresponds to a second application; and in accordance with a determination that the movement of the contact is in a second direction, distinct from the first direction, displays a first system user interface for interacting with a system-level function.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
at an electronic device with a touch-sensitive surface and a display:
displaying, on the display, a first user interface that corresponds to a first application;
detecting a first gesture on the touch-sensitive surface, wherein the first gesture includes movement of a single contact in a respective direction on the touch-sensitive surface; and
in response to detecting the first gesture:
in accordance with a determination that the movement of the single contact is in a first direction, replacing display of the first user interface with display of a second user interface that corresponds to a second application; and
in accordance with a determination that the movement of the single contact is in a second direction, distinct from the first direction, displaying a first system user interface for interacting with a system-level function, wherein the first direction is substantially perpendicular to the second direction;

while displaying an application launch user interface, the application launch user interface comprising a system user interface, detecting a second gesture on the touch-sensitive surface, wherein the second gesture includes movement of a single contact on the touch-sensitive surface:
in accordance with a determination that the movement of the single contact in the second gesture is in the same first direction, replacing the application launch user interface with a third user interface of a respective application;

while displaying the first system user interface, detecting a third gesture that includes movement of a single contact in the second direction; and
in response to detecting the third gesture, replacing the first system user interface at least partially with a second system user interface for interacting with a different system-level function.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first system user interface is a user interface selected from the set consisting of: a multitasking user interface, a search user interface, a virtual assistant user interface, a volume setting user interface, a screen brightness setting user interface, a screen rotation lock user interface, and a media player user interface.

3. The method of claim 1 , including, in response to detecting the first gesture, in accordance with a determination that the movement of the single contact is in a third direction substantially opposite to the first direction, replacing display of the first user interface with display of a user interface that corresponds to a third application.

4. The method of claim 1 , including, while displaying the first system user interface:
detecting a fourth gesture including movement of a single contact in a direction substantially opposite to the second direction; and
in response to detecting the fourth gesture, ceasing to display the first system user interface.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the second user interface entirely replaces the first user interface; and
the first system user interface is displayed simultaneously with at least a portion of the first user interface.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
displaying the first user interface includes displaying one or more interactive elements in the first user interface; and
displaying the first system user interface includes:
displaying the first system user interface simultaneously with at least a portion of the first user interface; and
disabling one or more of the interactive elements in the portion of the first user interface while the first system user interface is displayed.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the second application is a most recently used application other than the first application; and
the first system user interface is a user interface that is integrated into an operating system of the electronic device and is always available when the electronic device is operating, without regard to which applications, if any, are currently running on the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the display is a touch screen display and the first gesture starts on a portion of the touch-sensitive surface that is not coincident with the display.

9. The method of claim 8 , including:
detecting a fourth gesture that starts on a portion of the touch screen display; and
in response to detecting the fourth gesture, performing an operation in a user interface that is currently displayed on the touch screen display.

10. An electronic device, comprising:
a display;
a 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 first user interface that corresponds to a first application;
detecting a first gesture on the touch-sensitive surface, wherein the first gesture includes movement of a single contact in a respective direction on the touch-sensitive surface; and
in response to detecting the first gesture:
in accordance with a determination that the movement of the single contact is in a first direction, replacing display of the first user interface with display of a second user interface that corresponds to a second application; and
in accordance with a determination that the movement of the single contact is in a second direction, distinct from the first direction, displaying a first system user interface for interacting with a system-level function, wherein the first direction is substantially perpendicular to the second direction; and

while displaying an application launch user interface, the application launch user interface comprising a system user interface, detecting a second gesture on the touch-sensitive surface, wherein the second gesture includes movement of a single contact on the touch-sensitive surface:
in accordance with a determination that the movement of the single contact in the second gesture is in the same first direction, replacing the application launch user interface with a third user interface of a respective application;

while displaying the first system user interface, detecting a third gesture that includes movement of a single contact in the second direction; and

in response to detecting the third gesture, replacing the first system user interface at least partially with a second system user interface for interacting with a different system-level function.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the first system user interface is a user interface selected from the set consisting of: a multitasking user interface, a search user interface, a virtual assistant user interface, a volume setting user interface, a screen brightness setting user interface, a screen rotation lock user interface, and a media player user interface.

12. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the one or more programs including instructions for, in response to detecting the first gesture, in accordance with a determination that the movement of the single contact is in a third direction substantially opposite to the first direction, replacing display of the first user interface with display of a user interface that corresponds to a third application.

13. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the one or more programs including instructions for, while displaying the first system user interface:
detecting a fourth gesture including movement of a single contact in a direction substantially opposite to the second direction; and
in response to detecting the fourth gesture, ceasing to display the first system user interface.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Bernstein Jeffrey Traer
• Cieplinski Avi E
• Kerr Duncan R
• King Nicholas V

Classifications

• G06F3/0486

  Drag-and-drop · CPC title

• G06F3/0481

  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 title

• G06F3/0488 Primary

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

• G06F2203/04808

  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 title

• G06F3/04883 Primary

  for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text · CPC title