Context-Sensitive Touch Gesture Control for Web Applications
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Web applications running on touch devices often lack touch functionality beyond simple mouse clicks, and existing gesture recognition software conflicts with default device gestures, limiting intuitive control over user interface screens.
Innovation Solution
A method employing a browser on a touch-sensitive device to determine context and translate touch gestures into user interface control signals, using computer code to configure gestures that do not conflict with default device gestures, enabling context-sensitive touch control for web-based applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If gesture control features are built into an application, then touch functionality is improved, but conflicts with default device gestures occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments gesture recognition into two distinct layers: device-level default gestures and application-level custom gestures. The system divides the gesture processing architecture so that web applications can define their own gesture vocabulary without interfering with the operating system's default gesture set, thereby resolving conflicts while maintaining both touch functionality and reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer (the gesture mapping system in the browser or application) that translates touch gestures into application-specific commands. This intermediary translates between the physical touch input and the logical application actions, allowing custom gestures to be implemented without directly conflicting with device defaults by acting as a buffer between the two gesture systems
2Ease of operation
If web applications use default gestures, then simplicity is maintained, but intuitive control over application functions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the gesture system universal by enabling web applications to define and use custom gestures alongside default gestures. The system is designed to handle multiple gesture types (default and application-specific) within a single unified framework, allowing rich intuitive control without requiring separate gesture systems for different applications
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic gesture system where the available gestures and their mappings can be configured per application based on the application's context and requirements. The gesture vocabulary is not fixed but can be dynamically adapted to match the specific needs of different web applications, enhancing intuitiveness without permanent complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for facilitating employing touch gestures to control or manipulate a web-based application. The example method includes employing a browser running on a device with a touch-sensitive display to access content provided via a website; determining a context associated with the content, including ascertaining one or more user interface controls to be presented via a display screen used to present the content, and providing a first signal in response thereto; receiving touch input from a touch-sensitive display and providing a second signal in response thereto; and using the second signal to manipulate the display screen in accordance with the context associated with the content presented via the display screen. A library of touch gestures can represent common functions through touch movement patterns. These gestures may be context sensitive so as not to conflict with default touch tablet gestures.