Touch Screen Content Selection Across Page Breaks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch screen devices require users to perform multiple selection actions when selecting content that spans across page breaks, as current drag-based techniques do not allow seamless selection across multiple pages.
Innovation Solution
A content selection mode that utilizes a combination of gestures and multiple touch points to select content, allowing users to initiate selection with one or two initial touch points followed by a dragging gesture, which can traverse page breaks seamlessly, and includes features like immediate selection with multiple touch points and delayed selection with single touch points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional drag-based selection technique is used, then selection operation is simple, but selection cannot continue across page breaks requiring multiple actions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous drag-based selection across page breaks by maintaining the selection state and drag gesture continuity. When a user drags from one page to the next, the selection seamlessly continues on the following page without requiring the user to lift their finger or restart the selection process, thus preserving the useful action of content selection across page boundaries.
2Productivity
If multiple touch points are used for immediate selection, then selection speed is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent detects when multiple touch points are placed on the screen before the drag operation begins. By recognizing this preliminary multi-touch state, the system immediately enters selection mode and highlights the selected content as the user starts dragging, rather than waiting for the drag to commence. This preliminary detection of multi-touch intent accelerates the selection process.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for providing a content selecting mode in electronic touch screen devices. The content may be, for instance, text, graphics, images, files, and/or other consumable content. The user can engage the mode with a combination of gestures and touch points on the touch screen. The combination may include, for example, one or two initial touch points at a desired starting location of the target content, followed by a dragging gesture with two or more touch points moving from that location to the desired end location of the target content, wherein content between the starting and end locations is highlighted or otherwise selected. In one example case, if the initial touch includes multiple touch points then selecting of the target content may commence immediately, while a single initial touch point causes selecting to commence after a brief hold or the addition of another touch point at the starting location.