Apparatus and method for altering enclosure selections in a gesture based input system

A computer-controlled graphic editing system including a display and user controllable means connected to the computer for generating objects on said display and for generating a line image on said display, said system further comprising:

• (a) first means responsive to a first user action for generating a first line image having a first location on said display, said first line image representing selection of a first set of objects on said display,
• (b) second means responsive to a user action subsequent to generating of said first line image for generating a second line image having a second location on said display,
• (c) third means for determining whether the second line image has said second location satisfying a predetermined spatial relation to the first location of the first line image,
• (d) fourth means in response to the third means determining that the second line image does satisfy the predetermined spatial relation for combining the first and second line images to generate a third line image on said display visible to the user, said third line image representing a selection of a second set of objects on the display that is different from said first set of objects.

A method of altering a selection of a first set of graphical objects displayed on a screen representing a user interface to a graphical application being executed by a computer, said selection having been previously implemented by the computer to generate and store the location of a first line image on the display substantially enclosing the first set of graphical objects, said first line image being interpreted by the computer as a command to select the first set of graphical objects enclosed by said first line image, comprising the steps:

• (a) detecting via said computer subsequent user manipulations of the printing device, including user manipulations that cause the computer to generate and store a second line image on the display,
• (b) determining by the computer whether a predetermined spatial relation exists between the locations of the first and second stored line images, said predetermined spatial relation being interpreted by the computer as a command by the user to alter the selection previously made,
• (c) when the computer determines that the predetermined spatial relation exists between the locations of the first and second stored line images, combining with the computer the first and second line images to generate and store a third line image on the display substantially enclosing a second set of graphical objects that is different from the first set but includes at least some graphical objects of the first set, said third line image on the display representing an altered selection of graphical objects by the user, said altered selection being visible on the display to the user.

A method of altering a selection made by a user of a first set of graphical objects displayed on a screen representing a user interface to a graphical application being executed by a computer, said selection having been previously implemented by the user manipulating a printing device connected to the computer and whose movements are detected by the computer and used by the computer to generate and store the location of a first free-form line image on the display substantially enclosing the first set of graphical objects, said first line image being interpreted by the computer as a command by the user to select the first set of graphical objects enclosed by said first line image, comprising the steps:

• (a) detecting via said computer subsequent user manipulations of the printing device, including user manipulations that cause the computer to generate and store a second free-form line image on the display,
• (b) determining by the computer whether a predetermined spatial relation exists between the locations of the first and second stored line images, said predetermined spatial relation being interpreted by the computer as a command by the user to alter the selection previously made,
• (c) when the computer determines that the predetermined spatial relation exists between the locations of the first and second stored line images, combining with the computer the first and second line images to generate and store a third free-form line image on the display substantially enclosing a second set of graphical objects that is different from the first set but includes at least some graphical objects of the first set, said third line image on the display representing an altered selection of graphical objects by the user, said altered selection being visible on the display to the user.