Devices and Methods for Navigating Between User Interfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016357305-A1
Application number	US-201514866987-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 27, 2015
Priority date	Jun 7, 2015
Publication date	Dec 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method is performed at an electronic device with a display, a touch-sensitive surface, and one or more sensors to detect intensity of contacts. The method includes displaying, on the display, a user interface for an application; detecting an edge input that includes detecting a change in a characteristic intensity of a contact proximate to an edge of the touch-sensitive surface; and, in response to detecting the edge input: in accordance with a determination that the edge input meets system-gesture criteria, performing an operation that is independent of the application, wherein: the system-gesture criteria include intensity criteria; the system-gesture criteria include a location criterion that is met when the intensity criteria for the contact are met while the contact is within a first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface; and the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface is determined based on one or more characteristics of the contact.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
at an electronic device with a display, a touch-sensitive surface, and one or more sensors to detect intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface:
displaying, on the display, a user interface for an application;
detecting an edge input that includes detecting a change in a characteristic intensity of a contact proximate to an edge of the touch-sensitive surface; and,
in response to detecting the edge input:
in accordance with a determination that the edge input meets system-gesture criteria, performing an operation that is independent of the application, wherein:
the system-gesture criteria include intensity criteria;
the system-gesture criteria include a location criterion that is met when the intensity criteria for the contact are met while the contact is within a first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface; and

the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface is determined based on one or more characteristics of the contact.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the change in the characteristic intensity of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface is detected at a location that corresponds to a respective operation in the application.

3 . The method of claim 2 , including:
in response to detecting the edge input:
in accordance with a determination that the edge input meets application-gesture criteria and does not meet the system-gesture criteria, performing the respective operation in the application instead of performing the operation that is independent of the application.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the intensity criteria is met when:
the characteristic intensity of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface is above a first intensity threshold; and the characteristic intensity of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface is below a second intensity threshold.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface has first boundaries when the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface has first spatial properties and second boundaries, different from the first boundaries when the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface has second spatial properties.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the edge input includes:
detecting a first portion of the contact on the touch-sensitive surface proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface; and extrapolating, based on the first portion of the contact, a second portion of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface that extends beyond the edge of the touch sensitive surface, wherein the location of the contact, for the purposes of satisfying the location criteria, is determined based on at least in part on the extrapolated second portion of the contact.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein:
in accordance with a determination that the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface has first spatial properties, the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface is located entirely off of the touch-sensitive surface; and in accordance with a determination that the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface has second spatial properties, the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface includes a first portion located on the touch-sensitive surface, proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface, and a second portion located off of the touch-sensitive surface, extending away from the edge of the touch sensitive surface.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein:
in accordance with a determination that the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface has first spatial properties, the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface is located entirely off of the touch-sensitive surface, extending away from a first boundary located at a fixed distance from the edge of the touch-sensitive surface; and in accordance with a determination that the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface has second spatial properties, the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface is located entirely off of the touch-sensitive surface, extending away from a second boundary located at a second fixed distance from the edge of the touch-sensitive surface, wherein the second fixed distance is shorter than the first fixed distance.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
in accordance with a determination that a portion of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface extends beyond the edge of the touch-sensitive surface, the location of the contact is a location of the portion of the contact that extends beyond the edge of the touch-sensitive surface farthest from the edge of the touch-sensitive surface, based on a projection of the location of the portion of the contact that extends beyond the edge of the touch-sensitive surface; and in accordance with a determination that no portion of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface extends beyond the edge of the touch-sensitive surface, the location of the contact is a location of the contact closest to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more characteristics, upon which the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface is based, include a size of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the size of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface is based on one or more of: a measure of the capacitance of the contact, a shape of the contact, and an area of the contact.

12 . The method of claim 5 , wherein, a difference in the first boundaries of the first region and the second boundaries of the first region is greater near a central portion of the edge of the touch-sensitive surface and is smaller near a distal portion of the edge of the touch-sensitive surface.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface has a first or second size when the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface is moving at a speed above a first speed threshold and a third size when the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface is moving at a speed below the first speed threshold.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the system-gesture criteria further include direction criteria specifying a predetermined direction of motion on the touch-sensitive surface, wherein the direction criteria is met when the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface moves in the predetermined direction on the touch-sensitive surface.

15 . The method of claim 14 , including:
after initiating performance of the operation that is independent of the application:
detecting movement, on the touch-sensitive surface, of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface: and
in response to detecting the movement of the contact:
in accordance with a determination that the movement of the contact is in the predetermined direction, continuing performance of the operation that is independent of the application; and
in accordance with a determination that the movement of the contact is in a direction other than the predetermined direction, terminating performance of the operation that is independent of the application.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the system-gesture criteria furthe

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Wells Nicole M
• Cato Andrew B
• Gamble Matthew H
• Federighi Craig M
• Westerman Wayne C

Classifications

• G06F3/0483

  Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · 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

• G06F3/04883 Primary

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