User interface for manipulating user interface objects with magnetic properties

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9823828-B2
Application number	US-201615049064-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2016
Priority date	Sep 3, 2013
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to user interfaces for manipulating user interface objects. A device, including a display and a rotatable input mechanism, is described in relation to manipulating user interface objects. In some examples, the manipulation of the object is a scroll, zoom, or rotate of the object. In other examples, objects are selected in accordance with simulated magnetic properties.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for execution by one or more processors of an electronic device with a display and a rotatable input mechanism, the instructions for:
displaying, on the display, an object in accordance with a value of a characteristic of the object, the value being within a range of values of the characteristic;
receiving a user input request, the user input request representing rotation of the rotatable input mechanism;
in response to receiving the user input request, determining whether the user input request causes the value of the characteristic of the object to transition into range of a zone of an anchor, the anchor having a start value, a predetermined intermediate value, and an end value within the range of values of the characteristic, the zone of the anchor being between the start value and the end value, and wherein determining whether the user input request causes the value of the characteristic of the object to transition into range of the zone of the anchor comprises:
determining whether the value of the characteristic of the object is within a predetermined subset of the range of values of the characteristic;
in accordance with a determination that the value of the characteristic of the object is within the predetermined subset of the range of values of the characteristic, calculating the value of the characteristic of the object within the range of values of the characteristic based on the user input request and in accordance with a first function; and
in accordance with a determination that the value of the characteristic of the object is not within the predetermined subset of the range of values of the characteristic, calculating the value of the characteristic of the object within the range of values of the characteristic based on the user input request and in accordance with a second function, wherein the first function and the second function are different functions; and

in accordance with a determination that the user input request causes the value of the characteristic of the object to transition into range of the zone of the anchor:
updating the value of the characteristic of the object to the predetermined intermediate value of the anchor; and
updating display of the object in accordance with the updated value of the characteristic of the object.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein updating display of the object in accordance with the updated value of the characteristic of the object comprises animating the object to reflect the updated value of the characteristic of the object.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined intermediate value is not equal to the start value or the end value.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined intermediate value is equal to the start value or the end value.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein updating the value of the characteristic of the object based on the predetermined intermediate value of the anchor comprises updating the value of the characteristic of the object to be equal to the predetermined intermediate value of the anchor.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the start value and the end value are different.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined intermediate value is not the average of the start value and the end value.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , further comprising instructions for:
in accordance with a determination that the user input request causes the value of the characteristic of the object to transition into range of the zone of the anchor, initiating a duration during which received user input requests to manipulate the characteristic of the object do not affect the displayed characteristic of the object.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the duration is based on the rate of change of the value of the characteristic of the object when the value of the characteristic of the object transitions into range of the zone of the anchor.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , further comprising instructions for:
in accordance with a determination that the user input request does not cause the value of the characteristic of the object to transition into range of the zone of the anchor or into range of a zone of a second anchor, the second anchor having a second start value, a second predetermined intermediate value, and a second end value, and the second anchor having a zone between the second start value and the second end value:
updating the value of the characteristic of the object in accordance with the user input;
updating display of the object in accordance with the updated value of the characteristic of the object;
identifying a closest anchor, from among at least the anchor and the second anchor, based on the updated value of the characteristic of the object in accordance with the user input;
subsequently updating the value of the characteristic of the object based on the corresponding predetermined intermediate value of the identified closest anchor; and
updating display of the object in accordance with the subsequently updated value of the characteristic of the object.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein:
identifying the closest anchor comprises:
calculating a difference between the updated value of the characteristic of the object in accordance with the user input request and the predetermined intermediate value of the anchor; and
calculating a difference between the updated value of the characteristic of the object in accordance with the user input request and the predetermined intermediate value of the second anchor.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein:
identifying the closest anchor comprises identifying the nearest of the start value and end value of the anchor and the second anchor.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , further comprising instructions for:
in accordance with a determination that the user input request causes the value of the characteristic of the object to transition into range of the zone of the anchor, performing a haptic alert at the electronic device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the object is a document and the characteristic of the object is scroll position, and further comprising instructions for:
analyzing at least a portion of the document, wherein analyzing at least the portion of the document comprises identifying locations within the document.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the locations within the document include one or more of:
one or more page boundaries of at least the portion of the document;
one or more paragraph boundaries of at least the portion of the document; and
one or more keyword locations of at least the portion of the document; and further comprising instructions for:
assigning anchors to some or all of the identified page boundaries, paragraph boundaries, and keyword locations of the document.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , further comprising instructions for:
accessing a first set of anchor points;
assigning respective a

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Zambetti Nicholas
• Chaudhri Imran
• Dascola Jonathan R
• Dye Alan C
• Foss Christopher Patrick
• Guzman Aurelio
• Karunamuni Chanaka G
• Kerr Duncan Robert
• Wilson Christopher
• Wilson Eric Lance
• Yang Lawrence Y
• Butcher Gary Ian
• De Vries Nathan
• Ive Jonathan P

Classifications

• G06F3/0362 Primary

  with detection of one-dimensional [1D] translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts · CPC title

• G04G21/00

  Input or output devices integrated in time-pieces · CPC title

• G06F2203/04806

  Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation · CPC title

• G06F3/0485

  Scrolling or panning · 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