# US 11,029,842 B2 · Creating and manipulating layers on a user device using touch gestures

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- Number: US 11,029,842 B2
- Document ID: US11029842B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/748,046
- Filed: 2020-01-21
- Published: 2020-05-21
- Granted: 2021-06-08
- Earliest claimed: 2017-01-13
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: James Hewitt; Mark J. Lawrence; Martin A. Ross; Caroline J. Thomas
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11029842B2

## CPC

- G06F 3/04883: for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
- G06F 3/0485: Scrolling or panning
- G06F 2203/04803: Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes: receiving, by a user device, a first touch gesture at a display of the user device visually displaying a virtual object; defining, by the user device, an anchor point of the virtual object visually displayed on the display based on the first touch gesture; receiving, by the user device, a second touch gesture at the display; determining, by the user device, an anchor area and a scrolling area based on the anchor point and the second touch gesture; defining, by the user device, a first layer corresponding to the anchor area and a second layer corresponding to the scrolling area; and stacking, by the user device, the first layer over the second layer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, by a user device, a first touch gesture at a display of the user device visually displaying a virtual object;
determining, by the user device, a type of the virtual object;
defining, by the user device, an anchor point of the virtual object based on the first touch gesture and an associated delimiter, wherein the delimiter is selected based on the type of the virtual object;
defining, by the user device, an anchor area and a scrolling area based on the anchor point and the delimiter;
defining, by the user device, a first layer corresponding to the anchor area and a second layer corresponding to the scrolling area; and
stacking, by the user device, the first layer over the second layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a swipe gesture; and
scrolling the scrolling area behind the anchor area based on receiving the swipe gesture.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first touch gesture is selected from a group consisting of:
a single touch input having a duration satisfying a threshold;
a multi-touch input; and
a pressure-sensitive touch input.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the user device, a second touch gesture in the form of a swipe gesture.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising defining a context area based on the anchor point.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the context area includes bounds of the virtual object.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the scrolling area and the anchor area are within the context area.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein:
the type of the virtual object is determined based on identifying a commonality between data in lines of text;
the first touch gesture comprises the user touching a single point on the display for a threshold period of time;
a boundary defining the anchor area is based on the delimiter; and
the delimiter is selected from a group consisting of:
a row or column break in a table;
a punctuation in a line of text;
a character in a line of text;
boundary information for an image; and
boundary information for a web page.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the delimiter is selected from a group consisting of:
a row or column break in a table; and
a punctuation or character in a line of text.

### Claim 10

A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by the user device to cause the user device to:
receive a first touch gesture on a display of the user device displaying a virtual object;
determine a type of the virtual object;
define an anchor point of the virtual object based on the first touch gesture and an associated delimiter, wherein the delimiter is selected based on the type of the virtual object;
defining an anchor area and a scrolling area based on the anchor point and the delimiter;
define a first layer corresponding to the anchor area and a second layer corresponding to the scrolling area; and
stack the first layer over the second layer.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the program instructions further cause the user device to:
receive a swipe gesture; and
scroll the scrolling area behind the anchor area based on receiving the swipe gesture.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the first touch gesture is selected from a group consisting of:
a single touch input having a duration satisfying a threshold;
a multi-touch input; and
a pressure-sensitive touch input.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the program instructions further cause the user device to define a context area based on the anchor point, wherein the context area includes bounds of the virtual object.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the scrolling area and the anchor area are within the context area.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the virtual object includes the delimiter, and the delimiter defines a boundary based upon which the anchor area is defined, wherein the delimiter is selected from a group consisting of:
a row or column break in a table; and
a punctuation or character in a line of text.

### Claim 16

A system comprising:
a computer processor, a computer readable memory and a computer readable storage medium associated with a user device;
program instructions to receive a first touch gesture at a display of the user device displaying a virtual object;
program instructions to determine a type of the virtual object;
program instructions to define an anchor point based on the first touch gesture and an associated delimiter, wherein the delimiter is selected based on the type of the virtual object;
program instructions to define an anchor area and a scrolling area based on the anchor point and the delimiter;
program instructions to define a first layer corresponding to the anchor area and a second layer corresponding to the scrolling area; and
program instructions to stack the first layer over the second layer, wherein the program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage medium for execution by the computer processor via the computer readable memory.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, further comprising program instructions to define a context area based on the anchor point, wherein the context area includes bounds of the virtual object and the scrolling area and the anchor area are within the context area.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, further comprising program instruction to define a context area based on the anchor point.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein the context area includes bounds of the virtual object.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The system of claim 18, wherein the scrolling area and the anchor area are within the context area.