Surfacing Off-Screen Visible Objects
A computer-implemented user input process for a computing device includes receiving, on a touch pad surface over a graphical display, a user input motion dragging across the touch pad surface, identifying the dragging input motion as originating off an edge of the touch pad by identifying a sensed first location for the input motion at a peripheral edge of the touch pad surface, and displaying on the graphical display a sliding graphical element that is animated to move from the edge of the display into a body of the display, over a nonmoving element on the display, in response to identifying the dragging input motion.
1 . A computer-implemented user input process for a computing device, the process comprising:
receiving, on a touch pad surface on a computing device, a user input motion dragging across the touch pad surface, the computing device having a graphical display;
identifying the dragging input motion as originating off an edge of the touch pad by identifying a sensed first location for the input motion at a peripheral edge of the touch pad surface; and
displaying on the graphical display a sliding graphical element that is animated to move from the edge of the display into a body of the display, over a nonmoving element on the display, in response to identifying the dragging input motion, wherein in the touch pad surface is separate from the graphical display.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising mapping the user input motion received on the touch pad to corresponding points on the graphical display.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sliding graphical element moves in a direction corresponding to the user input motion.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving a user input motion comprises receiving an input motion that enters the touch pad surface from a right or left side of the touch pad surface.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving a user input motion comprises receiving an input motion that enters the touch pad surface from a top or bottom side of the touch pad surface.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising computing a vector for the dragging input motion.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the distance the sliding graphical element moves from the edge of the display into the body of the display corresponds to a length of the user input dragging motion.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the distance the sliding graphical element moves from the edge of the display into the body of the display corresponds to a velocity of the user input dragging motion.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sliding graphical element displays a first content prior to moving from the edge of the display and a second content after moving into the body of the display.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the first content is a sub-set of the second content.
11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving, on the touch pad surface over the graphical display, a second user input motion dragging across the touch pad surface;
identifying the second dragging input motion as originating on the touchpad and terminating off the edge of the touch pad by identifying a sensed last location for the input motion at a peripheral edge of the touch pad surface; and
displaying on the graphical display a second sliding graphical element that is animated to move to the edge of the display from the body of the display, over a second nonmoving element on the display, in response to identifying the second dragging input motion.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the first and second sliding graphical elements are the same.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the first and second nonmoving elements are the same.
14 . A computer-implemented user input process for a computing device, the process comprising:
receiving, on a touch pad surface over a graphical display, a user input motion dragging across the touch pad surface;
identifying the dragging input motion as originating on the touchpad and terminating off an edge of the touch pad by identifying a sensed last location for the input motion at a peripheral edge of the touch pad surface; and
displaying on the graphical display a sliding graphical element that is animated to move to the edge of the display from a body of the display, over a nonmoving element on the display, in response to identifying the dragging input motion.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein receiving a user input motion comprises receiving an input motion that exits the touch pad surface at a right or left side of the touch pad surface.
16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein receiving a user input motion comprises receiving an input motion that exits the touch pad surface at a top or bottom side of the touch pad surface.
17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the sliding graphical element moves in a direction corresponding to the user input motion.
18 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the dragging input motion originates on the touch pad surface in a location on the touch pad surface corresponding to the location of the sliding graphical element on the graphical display.
19 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the sliding graphical element is animated to further move from the edge of the display off the display.
20 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising mapping the user input motion received on the touch pad to corresponding points on the graphical display.
21 . A system comprising:
a graphical display on a computing device;
a nonmoving element on the graphical display; and
a sliding graphical element capable of moving from an edge of the graphical display to a body of the graphical display over the nonmoving element in response to an identified dragging input motion that originated off an edge of a touch pad.
22 . The system of claim 21 , wherein movement of the sliding graphical element is based on mapping user input received on a touchpad.
23 . The system of claim 21 , wherein movement of the sliding graphical element corresponds to a user input motion.
24 . The system of claim 23 , wherein movement of the sliding graphical element further corresponds to one of a length of the user input motion and a velocity of the user input motion.
25 . The system of claim 21 , further comprising a first content displayed by the sliding graphical element when the sliding graphical element is in a first position located near the edge of the display.
26 . The system of claim 25 , further comprising a second content displayed by the sliding graphical element when the sliding graphical element is in a second position located in the body of the display.
27 . The system of claim 26 , wherein a size associated with the second content is greater than a size associated with the first content.