Electronic touch communication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9811202-B2
Application number	US-201615345130-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2016
Priority date	Sep 2, 2014
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

Touch inputs such as single-finger contacts and multiple-finger contacts are detected at an electronic device and translated into electronic touch communications for playback at an external electronic device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
at an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display, the electronic device configured to communicate with an external device associated with a contact:
displaying a drawing area associated with the contact;
detecting a user input on the drawing area;
determining whether the user input is a single-finger touch input or a multiple-finger touch input; and
in accordance with a determination that the user input is a single-finger touch input, sending data to the external device associated with the contact, the data representing the single-finger touch input; and
in accordance with a determination that the detected user input represents a multiple-finger touch input, sending data to the external device associated with the contact, wherein sending the data triggers the external device to display a visual indicator corresponding to the multiple-finger touch input, further wherein:
sending the data representing the single-finger touch input triggers the external device to display a visual representation that is different than the visual indicator, without displaying the visual indicator, and
sending the data representing the multiple-finger touch input triggers the external device to display the visual indicator, without displaying the visual representation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multiple-finger touch input triggers the external device to display a visual indicator for a duration of the multiple-finger touch input.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the visual indicator is an image.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the visual indicator is an animated image.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the visual indicator is a pulsing heart.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the single-finger touch input triggers the external device to display a visual representation for a duration of the single-finger touch input.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the visual representation comprises one or more circles, ellipses, and/or ovals.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the visual representation comprises two or more concentric circles, ellipses, and/or ovals.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the visual representation on the external device fades out after being displayed for a predetermined amount of time.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the single-finger touch input is a single-finger tap.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the single-finger touch input is a single-finger swipe.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in accordance with a determination that the user input represents a plurality of single-finger touch input, sending data to the external device associated with the contact after lapse of a predetermined amount of time from a last swipe of the plurality of swipes, the data representing the plurality of single-finger touch input.

13. The method of claim 12 , further wherein:
the plurality of single-finger touch inputs comprises multiple swipe movements on the drawing area.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in accordance with the determination that the user input represents the single-finger touch input:
displaying the visual representation corresponding to the single-finger touch input in the drawing area; and
fading the visual representation from the drawing area while the data corresponding to the single-finger touch input is being sent.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in accordance with the determination that the user input represents the multiple-finger touch input:
displaying the visual indicator corresponding to the multiple-finger touch input in the drawing area; and
fading the visual indicator from the drawing area while the data corresponding to the multiple-finger touch input is being sent.

16. The method of claim 1 , further wherein:
sending the data triggers the external device to display a notification of receiving the data prior to displaying the visual indicator corresponding to the multiple-finger touch input.

17. The method of claim 1 , further wherein:
sending the data triggers the external device to display a notification of receiving the data prior to displaying the visual representation corresponding to the single-finger touch input.

18. The method of claim 1 , further wherein:
sending the data triggers the external device to provide a haptic output.

19. An electronic device configured to communicate with an external device associated with a contact, comprising:
a touch-sensitive display:
one or more processors;
a 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 a drawing area associated with the contact;
detecting a user input on the drawing area;
determining whether the user input is a single-finger touch input or a multiple-finger touch input; and
in accordance with a determination that the user input is a single-finger touch input, sending data to the external device associated with the contact, the data representing the single-finger touch input; and
in accordance with a determination that the detected user input represents a multiple-finger touch input, sending data to the external device associated with the contact, wherein sending the data triggers the external device to display a visual indicator corresponding to the multiple-finger touch input, further wherein:
sending the data representing the single-finger touch input triggers the external device to display a visual representation that is different than the visual indicator, without displaying the visual indicator, and
sending the data representing the multiple-finger touch input triggers the external device to display the visual indicator, without displaying the visual representation.

20. The electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the multiple-finger touch input triggers the external device to display a visual indicator for a duration of the multiple-finger touch input.

21. The electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the visual indicator is an image.

22. The electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the visual indicator is an animated image.

23. The electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the visual indicator is a pulsing heart.

24. The electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the single-finger touch input triggers the external device to display a visual representation for a duration of the single-finger touch input.

25. The electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the visual representation comprises one or more circles, ellipses, and/or ovals.

26. The electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the visual representation comprises two or more concentric circles, ellipses, and/or ovals.

27. The electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the visual representation on the external device fades out after being displayed for a predetermined amount of time.

28. The electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the single-finger touch input is a single-finger tap.

29. The electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the single-finger touch input is a single-finger swipe.

30. The electronic device of claim 19 , the one or more programs further including instructions for:
in accordance with a determination that the user input represents a plurality

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Anzures Freddy Allen
• Chaudhri Imran
• Dye Alan C
• Ive Jonathan P
• Kerr Duncan Robert
• King Nicholas V
• Lynch Kevin
• Novick Gregory
• Preston Daniel Trent
• Jenkins Monica
• Yang Lawrence Y

Classifications

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• G06F3/0416 Primary

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · CPC title

• G06F3/016

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title

• G06F3/04847

  Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials · CPC title

• G06F3/048

  Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] · CPC title