Explicit touch selection and cursor placement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9612670-B2
Application number	US-201113230524-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2011
Priority date	Sep 12, 2011
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

A system and method for implementing an efficient and easy to user interface for a touch screen device. A cursor may be placed by a user using simple inputs. The device operates places the cursor coarsely and refines the cursor placement upon further input from the user. Text may be selected using a gripper associated with the cursor. The user interface allows text selection without occluding the text being selected with the user's finger or the gripper. For selecting text in a multi-line block of text, a dynamic safety zone is implemented to simplify text selection for the user.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for placing a cursor on a display screen of a computing device displaying a string of characters comprising a plurality of lines of text, each line of text extending in a first direction and the plurality of lines of text being offset from one another in a second direction, the method comprising:
displaying a portion of the plurality of lines of text as selected text, the portion having a beginning location and an ending location; and
based at least on user input indicating updates to the ending location of the selected text, wherein an initial line includes the ending location prior to the updates and wherein a current line is initially the initial line, interactively adjusting the portion of the plurality of lines of text displayed as the selected text while updates to the ending location are still being received, by:
updating the ending location along the current line of the text based on a position in the first direction indicated by the user input; and
updating the ending location based on a position in the second direction indicated by the user input, updating the ending location in the second direction comprising:
while the computing device is operating in a first mode and the user input indicates an updated ending location that is less than a first threshold distance away from the initial line in the second direction:
maintaining the ending location in the current line;

while the computing device is operating in the first mode and the user input indicates an updated ending location that is greater than the first threshold distance away from the initial line in the second direction:
changing the ending location to an adjacent line, the adjacent line being adjacent to the initial line and offset in the second direction, and
entering a second mode after setting the current line to be the adjacent line; and

while the computing device is operating in the second mode, using a second threshold distance in the second direction from the current line, wherein the second threshold distance is less than the first threshold distance, to determine whether to change the ending location of the selected text to a different line from the current line.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the display screen is a touch screen, and wherein the method further comprises:
displaying a first gripper at a first gripper location associated with the beginning location; and
displaying a second gripper at a second gripper location associated with the ending location.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein displaying the first gripper and the second gripper comprises:
determining a width of the first gripper and the second gripper based on display screen parameters.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein:
when the beginning location and the ending location are closer together than a predetermined distance associated with a width of the first gripper and the second gripper, the second gripper location is a distance from the first gripper location such that the first gripper and the second gripper do not overlap.

5. At least one storage device having instructions recorded thereon which, when executed by a processor of a computing device comprising a display screen that displays text comprising a plurality of lines of text, each line of text extending in a first direction and the plurality of lines of text being offset from one another in a second direction, perform a method comprising:
displaying a portion of the plurality of lines of text as selected text, the portion having a beginning location and an ending location;
based at least on user input indicating updates to the ending location of the selected text, wherein an initial line includes the ending location prior to the updates and wherein a current line is initially the initial line, interactively adjusting the portion of the plurality of lines of text displayed as the selected text while updates are received, by:
updating the ending location along the current line of the text based on a position in the first direction indicated by the user input; and
updating the ending location based on a position in the second direction indicated by the user input, updating the ending location in the second direction comprising:
while the computing device is operating in a first mode and the user input indicates an updated ending location that is less than a first threshold distance away from the initial line in the second direction:
maintaining the ending location in the current line;

while the computing device is operating in the first mode and the user input indicates an updated ending location that is greater than the first threshold distance away from the initial line in the second direction:
changing the ending location to an adjacent line, the adjacent line being adjacent to the initial line and offset in the second direction, and
entering a second mode after setting the current line to be the adjacent line; and

while the computing device is operating in the second mode, using a second threshold distance in the second direction from the current line, wherein the second threshold distance is less than the first threshold distance, to determine whether to change the ending location of the selected text to a different line from the current line.

6. The at least one storage device of claim 5 , wherein the display screen is a touch screen, and wherein the method further comprises:
displaying a first gripper at a first gripper location associated with the beginning location; and
displaying a second gripper at a second gripper location associated with the ending location.

7. The at least one storage device of claim 6 , wherein displaying the first gripper and the second gripper comprises:
determining a width of the first gripper and the second gripper based on display screen parameters.

8. The at least one storage device of claim 6 , wherein:
when the beginning location and the ending location are closer together than a predetermined distance associated with a width of the first gripper and the second gripper, the second gripper location is a distance from the first gripper location such that the first gripper and the second gripper do not overlap.

9. A computer having a connection to provide output to a display screen that displays text comprising a plurality of lines of text, each line of text extending in a first direction and the plurality of lines of text being offset from one another in a second direction, the computer comprising:
a processing system comprising at least one processing unit;
at least one storage device having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the processing system configures the processing system to:
display a portion of the plurality of lines of text as selected text, the portion having a beginning location and an ending location;
based at least on user input indicating updates to the ending location of the selected text, wherein an initial line includes the ending location prior to the updates and wherein a current line is initially the initial line, interactively adjust the portion of the plurality of lines of text displayed as the selected text while updates are received, and wherein the processing system, to interactively adjust the portion of the plurality of lines, is further configured to:
update the ending location along the current line of the text based on a position in the first direction indicated by the user input; and
update the ending location based on a position in the second direction indicated by the user input, and wherein to update the ending location in the second direction, the processing system is further configured to:
while the processing system is operating in a first mode and the user

Assignees

• Weir Jeffrey J
• Anderson Jennifer L
• Wolfe Jennifer
• Hofmeester Gerrit H
• Markiewicz Jan-Kristian
• Brauninger Andrew R
• Stuple Stuart J
• Washington David Earl
• Kotler Matthew J
• Demopoulos Ryan
• Patel Amish
• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Weir Jeffrey J
• Anderson Jennifer L
• Wolfe Jennifer
• Hofmeester Gerrit H
• Markiewicz Jan-Kristian
• Brauninger Andrew R
• Stuple Stuart J
• Washington David Earl
• Kotler Matthew J
• Demopoulos Ryan
• Patel Amish

Classifications

• G06F3/0488

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

• G06F3/033 Primary

  Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user {, e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks}; Accessories therefor (digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041) · CPC title

• G06F3/04883 Primary

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

• G06F3/04842

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

• G06F40/166

  Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting · CPC title