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US 9,310,994 B2Granted
Use of bezel as an input mechanism
AssigneeMicrosoft Technology Licensing, LLC
InventorsKenneth P. Hinckley, Koji Yatani
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Bezel gestures for touch displays are described. In at least some embodiments, the bezel of a device is used to extend functionality that is accessible through the use of so-called bezel gestures. In at least some embodiments, off-screen motion can be used, by virtue of the bezel, to create screen input through a bezel gesture. Bezel gestures can include single-finger bezel gestures, multiple-finger/same-hand bezel gestures, and/or multiple-finger, different-hand bezel gestures.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- an input;
- and
- a circuit in communication with the input, the circuit configured to:
- receive a touch input from the input, wherein the touch input at least starts only on a bezel of a device, the device being configured to recognize bezel gestures in which touch inputs on the bezel move from the bezel onto a display device associated with the device, the device being configured to sense the touch inputs that occur only on the bezel, at least one of the touch inputs being configured to be received relative to one or more visual affordances which is utilized to provide a hint of accessible functionality, the locations of the one or more visual affordances corresponding to a respective accessible functionality, the locations of the one or more visual affordances further dependent upon an orientation of the device, and, in combination with said at least one of the touch inputs on the bezel moving onto the display device, expose a menu that provides access to said accessible functionality;
- and
- in response to the touch input being a single-finger touch input, access a bezel menu associated with a location of at least one visual affordance;
- in response to the touch input being a multi-finger touch input, access a drawer associated with:
- a location of at least one visual affordance;
- and
- a number of fingers in the multi-finger touch input.
7 more elements
A method comprising:
- displaying one or more visual affordances on a display device associated with a computing device, the locations of the one or more visual affordances corresponding to a respective functionality, the locations of the one or more visual affordances further dependent upon an orientation of the device;
- receiving a bezel gesture input relative to the visual affordance, the bezel gesture input comprising a first sliding input, a portion of which occurs only on a corresponding bezel, and a second sliding input, continuous with the first sliding input, that occurs on the display device, the computing device being configured to detect the input portion that occurs only on the bezel and recognize the first and second sliding inputs as being associated with a gesture;
- and,
- in response to the touch input being a single-finger touch input, accessing a bezel menu associated with a location of at least one visual affordance;
- in response to the touch input being a multi-finger touch input, accessing a drawer associated with:
- a location of at least one visual affordance;
- and
- a number of fingers in the multi-finger touch input.
5 more elements
A computing device comprising:
- one or more processors;
- and
- one or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer-readable instructions which, when executed, cause the computing device to implement a method comprising:
- displaying one or more visual affordances at one or more locations on a display device of the computing device, the locations of the one or more visual affordances corresponding to different functionality, the locations of the one or more visual affordances further dependent upon an orientation of the device;
- receiving a touch-input on a bezel of the device, the device being configured to recognize bezel gesture inputs that comprise a continuous sliding input that has respective portions that occur on the bezel and on a display device of the associated device, the device being configured with one or more sensors to detect touch input that occurs only on the bezel and recognize the touch input that occurs only on the bezel as part of a bezel gesture that has a portion of touch input that occurs on the display device;
- in response to the touch input being a single-finger touch input, accessing a bezel menu associated with a location of at least one visual affordance;
- in response to the touch input being a multi-finger touch input, accessing a drawer associated with:
- a location of at least one visual affordance;
- and
- a number of fingers in the multi-finger touch input.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.