# US 2014/0194162 A1 · Modifying A Selection Based on Tapping > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0194162 A1 - Document ID: US20140194162A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/734,845 - Filed: 2013-01-04 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-04 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Maxim Tsudik - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140194162A1 ## CPC - G06F 1/1694: {the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer} - G06F 3/04842: Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) - G06F 3/04892: Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key (arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038) - G06F 2200/1636: Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A mobile device enables refined adjustments of selections shown on its display by detecting and responding to a user's tapping actions relative to the sides of the mobile device. In response such tapping, the mobile device can finely alter the scope of the selection in an expected direction. For example, if the user has selected text having leftmost and right-most selection boundaries, then the mobile device can respond to the user's touching of one of those boundaries by making that boundary the currently “active” boundary, and then respond to the user's tapping on a side of the mobile device by moving the currently active boundary one text character away from the tapped side, thereby causing different text characters to be contained within the selected text. Using this technique, the mobile device's user can more easily refine the scope of the selected items to include slightly more or slightly fewer items. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving tap input that is associated with a physical force applied to at least one side of a mobile device; determining a magnitude and a direction of the tap input; and modifying a scope of currently selected data based on the magnitude and direction of the tap input. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the scope of the currently selected data comprises one of: expanding the scope to include a single character that was adjacent to but not previously contained in a currently selected string of characters, contracting the scope to exclude a single character that was previously contained at an edge of a currently selected string of characters, expanding the scope to include a single vector of cells that were adjacent to but not previously contained in a currently selected matrix of cells, or contracting the scope to exclude a single vector of cells that was previously contained at an edge of a currently selected matrix of cells. ### Claim 3 A computer-readable memory comprising particular instructions that are executable by one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the particular instructions comprising: instructions to cause an accelerometer of a mobile device to detect that the mobile device has been impacted on a particular side of the mobile device; and instructions to cause the one or more processor to change a scope of currently selected data in response to the accelerometer detecting that the device has been impacted on the particular side of the mobile device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The computer-readable memory of claim 3, wherein the instructions to cause the one or more processors to change a scope of the currently selected data comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to expand a boundary of the scope in a direction away from a source of the impact. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The computer-readable memory of claim 3, wherein the instructions to cause the one or more processors to change a scope of the currently selected data comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to contract a boundary of the scope in a direction away from a source of the impact. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The computer-readable memory of claim 3, wherein the selected data include a plurality of symbols, and wherein the instructions to cause the one or more processors to change a scope of the currently selected data comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to exclude, from the currently selected data, a single selected symbol closest to a boundary of the selected data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The computer-readable memory of claim 3, wherein the selected data include a plurality of symbols, and wherein the instructions to cause the one or more processors to change a scope of the currently selected data comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to include, within the currently selected data, a single non-selected symbol closest to a boundary of the selected data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The computer-readable memory of claim 3, wherein the selected data include a plurality of symbols, and wherein the instructions to cause the one or more processors to change a scope of the currently selected data comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to include or exclude, from the currently selected data, symbols in a quantity that is based on a magnitude of force of the impact. ### Claim 9 A computer-readable memory comprising particular instructions that are executable by one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the particular instructions comprising: instructions to cause detection of user selection of a first selection boundary and user selection of a second selection boundary through a display surface of a mobile device comprising a plurality of non-display surfaces; instructions to cause detection of user selection, through the display surface, of a particular selection boundary from a set comprising the first and second selection boundaries; instructions to cause the particular selection boundary to be visually distinguished as a currently selected boundary; instructions to cause detection of contact against a non-display surface of the plurality of non-display surfaces; and instructions to cause the mobile device to move the currently selected boundary in a direction that is based on which particular non-display surface of the plurality of non-display surfaces was contacted. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The computer-readable memory of claim 9, wherein the instructions to move the currently selected boundary in a direction that is based on which particular non-display surface of the plurality of non-display surfaces was contacted comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to move the currently selected boundary without moving any other boundary of the first and second selection boundaries. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The computer-readable memory of claim 9, wherein the instructions to move the currently selected boundary in a direction that is based on which particular non-display surface of the plurality of non-display surfaces was contacted comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to expand a scope of currently selected data in response to determining that the particular non-display surface is a rightmost surface and that the currently selected boundary is a leftmost selection boundary. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The computer-readable memory of claim 9, wherein the instructions to move the currently selected boundary in a direction that is based on which particular non-display surface of the plurality of non-display surfaces was contacted comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to contract a scope of currently selected data in response to determining that the particular non-display surface is a rightmost surface and that the currently selected boundary is a rightmost selection boundary. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The computer-readable memory of claim 9, wherein the instructions to move the currently selected boundary in a direction that is based on which particular non-display surface of the plurality of non-display surfaces was contacted comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to expand a scope of currently selected data in response to determining that the particular non-display surface is a leftmost surface and that the currently selected boundary is a rightmost selection boundary. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The computer-readable memory of claim 9, wherein the instructions to move the currently selected boundary in a direction that is based on which particular non-display surface of the plurality of non-display surfaces was contacted comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to contract a scope of currently selected data in response to determining that the particular non-display surface is a leftmost surface and that the currently selected boundary is a leftmost selection boundary. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The computer-readable memory of claim 9, wherein the instructions to move the currently selected boundary in a direction that is based on which particular non-display surface of the plurality of non-display surfaces was contacted comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to move the currently selected boundary by an extent that is based on a magnitude of a force with which the particular non-display surface was contacted. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The computer-readable memory of claim 9, wherein the instructions to move the currently selected boundary in a direction that is based on which particular non-display surface of the plurality of non-display surfaces was contacted comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to move the currently selected boundary in a direction opposing the particular non-display surface. ### Claim 17 A computer-readable memory comprising particular instructions that are executable by one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the particular instructions comprising: instructions to cause a computing device to receive input that indicates user selection of a block of contiguous entities within a plurality of contiguous entities; instructions to cause the computing device to produce output that visually distinguishes, through a visual output device, the block of contiguous from a remainder of the plurality of contiguous entities; instructions to cause a computing device to detect a tap against a surface that lacks the visual output device; and instructions to cause the one or more processors to modify the user selection of the block of contiguous entities based on the detection of the tap. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computer-readable memory of claim 17, wherein the contiguous entities are cells within a spreadsheet. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The computer-readable memory of claim 17, wherein the contiguous entities are characters within a document. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The computer-readable memory of claim 17, wherein the plurality of contiguous entities are configured in a multi-dimensional matrix. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The computer-readable memory of claim 17, wherein the instructions to cause the one or more processors to modify the user selection of the block of contiguous entities based on the detection of the tap comprise instructions to cause the one or more processors to expand or contract the block by a single row or a single column of the contiguous entities. ### Claim 22 A mobile device comprising: means for detecting a user tap against a part of the mobile device other than a touchscreen of the mobile device; means for detecting a direction in which the user tap was administered; and means for adjusting selection boundaries around currently selected data based on the direction. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The mobile device of claim 22, further comprising: means for detecting a magnitude of a force of the user tap; and means for adjusting the selection boundaries around the currently selected data based on the magnitude. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The mobile device of claim 22, wherein the currently selected data comprises a plurality of contiguous entities, and further comprising: means for adjusting the selection boundaries around the currently selected data by a single entity of the plurality of contiguous entities in the direction. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) The mobile device of claim 22, further comprising: means for detecting a magnitude of a force of the user tap; and means for adjusting the selection boundaries around the currently selected data by a quantity of entities of the plurality of contiguous entities; wherein the quantity is based on the magnitude.