IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,976,142
Granted Patent B2
US 8,976,142 · App. 14/445,989 · Granted Mar 10, 2015

Navigating applications using side-mounted touchpad

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,976,142
App. No.
14/445,989
Granted
Mar 10, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes detecting a touch event on a back-mounted touchpad of a computing device during display of a current user interface of an application executing on the computing device. The application includes a navigation hierarchy with a home user-interface layer, multiple sub user-interface layers, and multiple user-interface branches. The method includes determining a particular sub user-interface layer and user-interface branch that the current user interface corresponds to and determining a type of the touch event. When the type of the touch event is an upward touch event and there is a next sub user-interface layer in the particular user-interface branch of the current user interface, the method navigates to the next user-interface layer in the particular user-interface branch of the current user interface.

Claims (47)

1. A method comprising:

by a computing device, detecting a touch event on a back-mounted touchpad of the computing device during display of a current user interface of an application executing on the computing device, wherein the application comprises a navigation hierarchy that comprises a home user-interface layer, a plurality of sub user-interface layers, and a plurality of user-interface branches;

by the computing device, determining a particular sub user-interface layer and user-interface branch that the current user interface corresponds to;

by the computing device, determining a type of the touch event;

by the computing device, when the type of the touch event is an upward touch event and there is a next sub user-interface layer in the particular user-interface branch of the current user interface, navigating to the next user-interface layer in the particular user-interface branch of the current user interface; and

by the computing device, when the type of the touch event is a downward touch event and there is a previous sub user-interface layer in the particular user-interface branch of the current user interface, navigating to the previous user-interface layer in the particular user-interface branch of the current user interface.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising when the type of the touch event is a tap event, navigating directly to the home user-interface layer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the touch event to be an upward touch event or a downward touch event is based one or more of:

the location of the touch event on the back-mounted touchpad;

the direction of the touch event on the back-mounted touchpad; and

the duration of the touch event on the back-mounted touchpad.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the application is a web browser.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the application is an operating system.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the back-mounted touchpad comprises a concave surface.

7. A device comprising:

a display;

a back-mounted touchpad;

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors being operable when executing the instructions to:

detect a touch event on the back-mounted touchpad of the device during display of a current user interface of an application executing on the computing device, wherein the application comprises a navigation hierarchy that comprises a home user-interface layer, a plurality of sub user-interface layers, and a plurality of user-interface branches;

determine a particular sub user-interface layer and user-interface branch that the current user interface corresponds to;

determine a type of the touch event;

when the type of the touch event is an upward touch event and there is a next sub user-interface layer in the particular user-interface branch of the current user interface, navigate to the next user-interface layer in the particular user-interface branch of the current user interface; and

when the type of the touch event is a downward touch event and there is a previous sub user-interface layer in the particular user-interface branch of the current user interface, navigate to the previous user-interface layer in the particular user-interface branch of the current user interface.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to when the type of the touch event is a tap event, navigate directly to the home user-interface layer.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein the processors are operable when executing the instructions to determine if the touch event is an upward touch event or a downward touch event based on one or more of:

the location of the touch event on the back-mounted touchpad;

the direction of the touch event on the back-mounted touchpad; and

the duration of the touch event on the back-mounted touchpad.

10. The device of claim 7 , wherein the display is a touch screen.

11. The device of claim 7 , wherein the back-mounted touchpad comprises a concave surface.

12. The device of claim 7 , wherein the application is a web browser.

13. The device of claim 7 , wherein the application is an operating system.

14. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

detect a touch event on a back-mounted touchpad of the computing device during display of a current user interface of an application executing on the computing device, wherein the application comprises a navigation hierarchy that comprises a home user-interface layer, a plurality of sub user-interface layers, and a plurality of user-interface branches;

determine a particular sub user-interface layer and user-interface branch that the current user interface corresponds to;

determine a type of the touch event;

when the type of the touch event is an upward touch event and there is a next sub user-interface layer in the particular user-interface branch of the current user interface, navigate to the next user-interface layer in the particular user-interface branch of the current user interface; and

when the type of the touch event is a downward touch event and there is a previous sub user-interface layer in the particular user-interface branch of the current user interface, navigate to the previous user-interface layer in the particular user-interface branch of the current user interface.

15. The media of claim 14 , wherein the software is further operable when executed to when the type of the touch event is a tap event, navigate directly to the home user-interface layer.

16. The media of claim 14 , wherein the software is operable when executed to determine if the touch event is an upward touch event or a downward touch event based on one or more of:

the location of the touch event on the back-mounted touchpad;

the direction of the touch event on the back-mounted touchpad; and

the duration of the touch event on the back-mounted touchpad.

17. The media of claim 14 , wherein the application is a web browser.

18. The media of claim 14 , wherein the application is an operating system.

19. The media of claim 14 , wherein the back-mounted touchpad comprises a concave surface.

Assignments (1)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 20, 2021
From: FACEBOOK, INC.
To: META PLATFORMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 058553/0802 →