System and method for using gestures to generate code to manipulate text flow

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9201666-B2
Application number	US-201113161739-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2011
Priority date	Jun 16, 2011
Publication date	Dec 1, 2015
Grant date	Dec 1, 2015

Abstract

The subject disclosure is directed towards using gesture input to position content elements (e.g., flow text) around an object such as an irregularly shaped image. The gesture input may be used to generate markup language code, which when processed by a renderer, automatically positions the elements based upon the markup language code. For example, div elements may be generated in HTML code, with margins set to values based upon the gesture so as to position the one or more content elements when they are rendered.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. In a computing environment, a system comprising:
a sensing mechanism configured to provide data corresponding to gesture input; and
logic configured to process the data to automatically position one or more content elements relative to a gesture curve of the gesture input while a gesture corresponding to the gesture input is still in progress, by:
generating div elements in hypertext markup language (HTML) code with margins set to values that position the one or more content elements based on the gesture curve of the gesture input;
aligning a set of at least two vertically adjacent div elements that are within a threshold alignment distance of one another into an aligned set; and
encoding the aligned set into a single div element with an increased height.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the gesture curve traces a curve relative to an image contour, wherein the content elements comprise text, and wherein the logic processes the data to flow the text relative to the curve to appear to flow content based upon a gesture trace of the image contour.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the logic is further configured to:
adjust a shape of a content element based upon drawn shape data received via other gesture input.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensing mechanism comprises a touch-sensitive display, and wherein the gesture input corresponds to a finger or stylus gesture.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensing mechanism comprises a pointing device, and wherein the gesture input corresponds to pointing device movement.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensing mechanism comprises a depth camera-based technology, and wherein the gesture input corresponds to an air gesture.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the logic infers where to position the one or more content elements relative to the gesture curve of the gesture input based upon a left or right position of the gesture input relative to an imaginary center line, wherein the imaginary center line is a line of reference.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the logic determines where to position the one or more content elements relative to the gesture curve of the gesture input based upon secondary input.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensing mechanism comprises a touch-sensitive display, wherein the gesture input corresponds to a pinching, stretching or rotation gesture, and wherein the logic performs translation, scaling or rotation, or any combination of translation, scaling or rotation to modify a shape containing the one or more content elements into a modified shape, and positions the one or more content elements relative to the modified shape.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the gesture input traces a curve relative to a displayed object, wherein the displayed object is moved to a changed position, and wherein the logic repositions the one or more content elements relative to the changed position.

11. In a computing environment, a computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving data corresponding to gesture input, the data including one or more sets of coordinates relative to a gesture trace of a curve corresponding to a content contour;
generating markup language code based upon the gesture input, including the one or more sets of coordinates; and
processing the markup language code to render output that is based at least in part upon the gesture input to automatically position one or more content elements while a gesture corresponding to the gesture input is still in progress.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 wherein the markup language code comprises hypertext markup language (HTML) elements associated with position data, and wherein processing the markup language code to render output that is based at least in part upon the gesture input comprises rendering output that positions the one or more content elements relative to the gesture input.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 wherein the markup language code comprises hypertext markup language (HTML) div elements associated with margin data that is set based upon the gesture input, and wherein processing the markup language code to render output that is based at least in part upon the gesture input comprises rendering output that flows text relative to the gesture input.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 further comprising:
saving information corresponding to the margin data, including run-length encoding the data of at least two div elements that are aligned within a threshold alignment distance of one another.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 wherein the data corresponding to the gesture input is received from a depth sensing device, and wherein the gesture input is sensed without physical contact.

Assignees

• Zaragoza Richard Ignacio
• Ickman Steven Wayne
• Portnoy William Lawrence
• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Zaragoza Richard Ignacio
• Ickman Steven Wayne
• Portnoy William Lawrence

Classifications

• G06F40/103

  Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents (automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191) · 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

• G06F9/451 Primary

  Execution arrangements for user interfaces · CPC title

• G06F3/0354

  with detection of two-dimensional [2D] relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks · CPC title

• G06F40/171

  by use of digital ink · CPC title