System and method for controlling an electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9817568-B2
Application number	US-201213408818-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 29, 2012
Priority date	Feb 29, 2012
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

A method, computer readable storage medium, and electronic device are provided which operates on hierarchical data having a plurality of levels by detecting one of a plurality of gestures on a touch-sensitive input mechanism of the electronic device. Each of the plurality of gestures is associated with a different level in the hierarchical data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of controlling an electronic device, the electronic device operating on hierarchical data, the hierarchical data comprising at least two levels, the at least two levels each comprising at least one respective category, where each respective category in the at least two levels comprises at least one respective sub-category within a lower level in the hierarchical data, the method comprising:
detecting a gesture of a plurality of gestures on a touch-sensitive input mechanism of the electronic device, each gesture in the plurality of gestures indicating a different respective number of hierarchical levels within hierarchical data, the gesture being independent of a presentation on the touch-sensitive input mechanism and maintaining continuous contact with the touch-sensitive input mechanism for the duration of the gesture; and
selecting a second item within the hierarchical data based on detecting the gesture while a first item is selected,
where the first item is within a current hierarchical level within the hierarchical data,
the first item being within a first category defined within a second hierarchical level that is above the current hierarchical level within the hierarchical data,
the second item being within a second category defined within the second hierarchical level where the second category is different from the first category, and
the second hierarchical level and the current hierarchical level being separated in the hierarchical data by one or more intermediate levels equal to the respective number of hierarchical levels indicated by the gesture.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of gestures comprises a different number of simultaneous contact points maintaining continuous contact with the touch-sensitive input mechanism.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of gestures comprises a different portion of a path.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of gestures comprises a different number of repetitions of continuous contact movements over a path.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the touch-sensitive input mechanism comprises a touch-sensitive non-display area incapable of displaying electrically changeable data adjacent to and separate from a touch-sensitive display area, and wherein each of the plurality of gestures is performed by maintaining the continuous contact on a different combination across both the touch-sensitive non-display area and the touch-sensitive display area.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is docked within an automobile.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium for controlling an electronic device, the electronic device operating on hierarchical data, the hierarchical data comprising at least two levels, the at least two levels each comprising at least one respective category, where each respective category in the at least two levels comprises at least one respective sub-category within a lower level in the hierarchical data, the computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions for:
detecting a gesture of a plurality of gestures on a touch-sensitive input mechanism of the electronic device, each gesture in the plurality of gestures indicating a different respective number of hierarchical levels to move within hierarchical data, the gesture being independent of a presentation on the touch-sensitive input mechanism and maintaining continuous contact with the touch-sensitive input mechanism for the duration of the gesture; and
selecting a second item within the hierarchical data based on detecting the gesture while a first item is selected,
where the first item is within a current hierarchical level within the hierarchical data,
the first item being within a first category defined within a second hierarchical level that is above the current hierarchical level within the hierarchical data,
the second item being within a second category defined within the second hierarchical level where the second category is different from the first category, and
the second hierarchical level and the current hierarchical level being separated in the hierarchical data by one or more intermediate levels equal to the respective number of hierarchical levels indicated by the gesture.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of gestures comprises a different portion of a path.

9. An electronic device for operating on hierarchical data, the hierarchical data comprising at least two levels, the at least two levels each comprising at least one respective category, where each respective category in the at least two levels comprises at least one respective sub-category within a lower level in the hierarchical data, the electronic device comprising a processor, a touch-sensitive input mechanism and non-transitory memory, the non-transitory memory storing computer executable instructions for:
detecting a gesture of a plurality of gestures on a touch-sensitive input mechanism of the electronic device, each gesture in the plurality of gestures indicating a different respective number of hierarchical levels to move within hierarchical data, the gesture being independent of a presentation on the touch-sensitive input mechanism and maintaining continuous contact with the touch-sensitive input mechanism for the duration of the gesture; and
selecting a second item within the hierarchical data based on detecting the gesture while a first item is selected,
where the first item is within a current hierarchical level within the hierarchical data,
the first item being within a first category defined within a second hierarchical level that is above the current hierarchical level within the hierarchical data,
the second item being within a second category defined within the second hierarchical level where the second category is different from the first category, and
the second hierarchical level and the current hierarchical level being separated in the hierarchical data by one or more intermediate levels equal to the respective number of hierarchical levels indicated by the gesture.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein each of the plurality of gestures comprises a different portion of a path.

11. The electronic device of claim 9 further comprising a dock for mounting the electronic device within an automobile.

12. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the touch-sensitive input mechanism comprises a touch-sensitive non-display area incapable of displaying electrically changeable data adjacent to and separate from a touch-sensitive display area, and wherein each of the plurality of gestures is performed by maintaining the continuous contact on a different combination across both the touch-sensitive non-display area and the touch-sensitive display area.

13. The method of claim 1 , the plurality of gestures comprising multiple touch swipe gestures wherein each respective multiple touch swipe gesture has a respective number of simultaneous touches for the duration of the gesture, the respective number of simultaneous touches indicating the respective number of levels in the hierarchical data with which the respective multiple touch swipe gesture is associated.

14. The method of claim 1 , the plurality of gestures comprising different length swipe gestures wherein each respective different length swipe gesture has a respective swipe length indicating the respective number of levels in the hierarchical data with which the respective different length swipe gesture is associated.

15. The method

Assignees

• Mori Robert Felice
• Yurkonis Philip Gabriel
• Lo Jonathan Haking
• Blackberry Ltd

Inventors

• Mori Robert Felice
• Yurkonis Philip Gabriel
• Lo Jonathan Haking

Classifications

• B60R11/0264

  for control means · CPC title

• G06F15/0291

  for reading, e.g. e-books (constructional details of portable computers G06F1/1613) · CPC title

• B60R2011/001

  Vehicle control means, e.g. steering-wheel or column · CPC title

• G06F3/04883 Primary

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

• G06F3/0483

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