Manipulating an on-screen object using zones surrounding the object
View Patent ↗A user interface for manipulating objects of various types in a consistent manner. Each on-screen object is surrounded by a control region including a number of zones for performing various control operations on the object. Multiple input modes are available for interacting with the zones, allowing object manipulation commands to be initiated in several different ways, such as via stroke input, pressing a mouse button, double-clicking, menu selection, voice input, and the like. The user interface is operable using any of several different types of input devices.
1. In a user interface including a plurality of stroke commands for a zone, a computer-implemented method for manipulating an object, comprising:
responsive to a stroke in a first direction along a first axis initiated within a zone proximate the object, changing a characteristic of the object by increasing a value of a parameter associated with the object by a first predetermined increment;
responsive to a stroke in a second direction along the first axis initiated within the zone, changing the characteristic of the object by decreasing the value of the parameter by the first predetermined increment;
responsive to a stroke in a third direction along a second axis initiated within the zone, changing the characteristic of the object by increasing the value of the parameter by a second predetermined increment different from the first predetermined increment; and
responsive to a stroke in a fourth direction along the second axis initiated within the zone, changing the characteristic of the object by decreasing the value of the parameter by the second predetermined increment.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second predetermined increment is of smaller magnitude than the first predetermined increment.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second axis is perpendicular to the first axis.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein one axis is vertical, and the other axis is horizontal.
5. In a user interface including a plurality of stroke commands for a zone, a computer-implemented method for manipulating an object, comprising:
responsive to a stroke along a first axis initiated within a zone proximate the object, changing a characteristic of the object by a first predetermined increment; and
responsive to a stroke along a second axis initiated within the zone, changing the characteristic of the object by a second predetermined increment different from the first predetermined increment;
wherein the characteristic of the object is one selected from the group consisting of:
a start position;
an end position;
a duration;
a size;
a length;
a date;
a time;
a numeric value;
a width;
a height;
an image cropping specification;
a thickness;
a decimal place location;
playing speed;
playing position;
a leading character;
a terminating character;
an alignment;
a rotation;
a font;
a style;
a capitalization;
a color;
an opacity;
a brightness; and
a relative volume.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
responsive to the user input comprising a menu activation command:
displaying a menu comprising commands;
accepting a second user input selecting a command from the menu; and
responsive to the menu command, changing a characteristic of the object.
7. In a user interface including a plurality of stroke commands for a zone, a computer-implemented computer program product for manipulating an object, comprising:
a computer-readable medium; and
computer program code, encoded on the medium, for causing a processor to perform the steps of:
responsive to a stroke in a first direction along a first axis initiated within a zone proximate the object, changing a characteristic of the object by increasing a value of a parameter associated with the object by a first predetermined increment;
responsive to a stroke in a second direction along the first axis initiated within the zone, changing the characteristic of the object by decreasing the value of the parameter by the first predetermined increment;
responsive to a stroke in a third direction along a second axis initiated within the zone, changing the characteristic of the object by increasing the value of the parameter by a second predetermined increment different from the first predetermined increment; and
responsive to a stroke in a fourth direction along the second axis initiated within the zone, changing the characteristic of the object by decreasing the value of the parameter by the second predetermined increment.
8. In a user interface including a plurality of stroke commands for a zone, a computer-implemented computer program product for manipulating an object, comprising:
a computer-readable medium; and
computer program code, encoded on the medium, for:
responsive to a stroke along a first axis initiated within a zone proximate the object, changing a characteristic of the object by a first predetermined increment; and
responsive a stroke along a second axis initiated within the zone, changing the characteristic of the object by a second predetermined increment different from the first predetermined increment;
wherein the characteristic of the object is one selected from the group consisting of:
a start position;
an end position;
a duration;
a size;
a length;
a date;
a time;
a numeric value;
a width;
a height;
an image cropping specification;
a thickness;
a decimal place location;
playing speed;
playing position;
a leading character;
a terminating character;
an alignment;
a rotation;
a font;
a style;
a capitalization;
a color;
an opacity;
a brightness; and
a relative volume.
9. The computer program product of claim 7 , further comprising:
responsive to the user input comprising a menu activation command:
displaying a menu comprising commands;
accepting a second user input selecting a command from the menu; and
responsive to the menu command, changing a characteristic of the object.