Method and apparatus for controls based on concurrent gestures

Abstract

In an embodiment, a number of parallel gestures are detected, in a particular area on a touch screen interface of a device. A command is identified based at least on the parallel gestures and an action associated with the command is performed.

1 . A method, comprising:
 detecting a gesture that has been made on a touch screen interface of a first device;   selecting a device, from a plurality of devices, and a command, from a plurality of commands, based at least on one or more of: which gesture was identified, and/or at which area of the touch screen interface the gesture was detected;   causing performance of the selected command at the selected device.   
     
     
         2 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the detected gesture is one of a plurality of concurrent parallel sliding gestures performed in a same direction, wherein the command is further selected from the plurality of commands, or the device is further selected from the plurality of devices, based on the plurality of concurrent parallel sliding gestures. 
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the detected gesture is one of a number of tap gestures concurrently performed on the touch screen interface, wherein the command is further selected from the plurality of commands, or the device is further selected from the plurality of devices, based on the number of tap gestures. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 displaying, at the first device, a progress indicator indicating a current playback position within the multimedia content played on the selected device;   updating the progress indicator to reflect a new playback position of the multimedia content at the selected device in response to performance of the selected command;   wherein the selected command is a multimedia playback command for multimedia content playing at the selected device.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the first device updates the progress indicator responsive to periodic messages from the selected device. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the first device updates the progress indicator by requesting progress updates from the selected device, based in part on input from an accelerometer or touch screen indicating that the first device is in active use. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 displaying a menu of options, each of the options having an option number, each of the options corresponding to a different command of the plurality of commands;   wherein selecting the command comprises selecting which of the plurality of commands corresponds to a particular option, of the options, that has an option number equivalent to how many parallel gestures were being made concurrently when the gesture was detected.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of devices include both the first device and a device that is remote from the first device and connected to the first device via a wireless connection. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 identifying a plurality of gesture areas at which gestures may be made on the touch screen interface;   selecting the device from the plurality of devices based on determining in which of the plurality of gesture areas the detected gesture was made.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising outputting, in different gesture areas of the plurality of gesture areas, different graphical items, the graphical items including one or more of: a video, a bitmap, or instructional information. 
     
     
         11 . A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a sequence of instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause performing steps comprising:
 detecting a gesture that has been made on a touch screen interface of a first device;   selecting a device, from a plurality of devices, and a command, from a plurality of commands, based at least on one or more of: which gesture was identified, and/or at which area of the touch screen interface the gesture was detected;   causing performance of the selected command at the selected device.   
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the detected gesture is one of a plurality of concurrent parallel sliding gestures performed in a same direction, wherein the command is further selected from the plurality of commands, or the device is further selected from the plurality of devices, based on the plurality of concurrent parallel sliding gestures. 
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the detected gesture is one of a number of tap gestures concurrently performed on the touch screen interface, wherein the command is further selected from the plurality of commands, or the device is further selected from the plurality of devices, based on the number of tap gestures. 
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the steps further comprise:
 displaying, at the first device, a progress indicator indicating a current playback position within the multimedia content played on the selected device;   updating the progress indicator to reflect a new playback position of the multimedia content at the selected device in response to performance of the selected command;   wherein the selected command is a multimedia playback command for multimedia content playing at the selected device.   
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 14 , wherein the first device updates the progress indicator responsive to periodic messages from the selected device. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 14 , wherein the first device updates the progress indicator by requesting progress updates from the selected device, based in part on input from an accelerometer or touch screen indicating that the first device is in active use. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the steps further comprise:
 displaying a menu of options, each of the options having an option number, each of the options corresponding to a different command of the plurality of commands;   wherein selecting the command comprises selecting which of the plurality of commands corresponds to a particular option, of the options, that has an option number equivalent to how many parallel gestures were being made concurrently when the gesture was detected.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of devices include both the first device and a device that is remote from the first device and connected to the first device via a wireless connection. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the steps further comprise:
 identifying a plurality of gesture areas at which gestures may be made on the touch screen interface;   selecting the device from the plurality of devices based on determining in which of the plurality of gesture areas the detected gesture was made.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 19 , wherein the steps further comprise outputting, in different gesture areas of the plurality of gesture areas, different graphical items, the graphical items including one or more of: a video, a bitmap, or instructional information. 
     
     
         21 . A device comprising:
 one or more processors;   logic, implemented at least partly by hardware, configured to detect a gesture that has been made on a touch screen interface of a first device;   logic, implemented at least partly by hardware, configured to select a device, from a plurality of devices, and a command, from a plurality of commands, based at least on one or more of: which gesture was identified, and/or at which area of the touch screen interface the gesture was detected;   logic, implemented at least partly by hardware, that causes performance of the selected command at the selected device;   wherein the selected command is a multimedia playback command for multimedia content playing at the selected device.   
     
     
         22 . The device as recited in  claim 21 , wherein the detected gesture is one of a plurality of concurrent parallel sliding gestures performed in a same direction, wherein the command is further selected from the plurality of commands, or the device is further selected from the plurality of devices, based on the plurality of concurrent parallel sliding gestures. 
     
     
         23 . The device as recited in  claim 21 , wherein the detected gesture is one of a number of tap gestures concurrently performed on the touch screen interface, wherein the command is further selected from the plurality of commands, or the device is further selected from the plurality of devices, based on the number of tap gestures. 
     
     
         24 . The device of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 logic, implemented at least partly by hardware, configured to display, at the first device, a progress indicator indicating a current playback position within the multimedia content played on the selected device;   logic, implemented at least partly by hardware, configured to update the progress indicator to reflect a new playback position of the multimedia content at the selected device in response to performance of the selected command.   
     
     
         25 . The device of  claim 24 , wherein the first device updates the progress indicator responsive to periodic messages from the selected device. 
     
     
         26 . The device of  claim 24 , wherein the first device updates the progress indicator by requesting progress updates from the selected device, based in part on input from an accelerometer or touch screen indicating that the first device is in active use. 
     
     
         27 . The device of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 logic, implemented at least partially by hardware, configured to display a menu of options, each of the options having an option number, each of the options corresponding to a different command of the plurality of commands;   wherein selecting the command comprises selecting which of the plurality of commands corresponds to a particular option, of the options, that has an option number equivalent to how many parallel gestures were being made concurrently when the gesture was detected.   
     
     
         28 . The device of  claim 21 , wherein the plurality of devices include both the first device and a device that is remote from the first device and connected to the first device via a wireless connection. 
     
     
         29 . The device of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 logic, implemented at least partially by hardware, configured to identify a plurality of gesture areas at which gestures may be made on the touch screen interface;   logic, implemented at least partially by hardware, configured to select the device from the plurality of devices based on determining in which of the plurality of gesture areas the detected gesture was made.   
     
     
         30 . The device of  claim 29 , further comprising logic, implemented at least partially by hardware, configured to output, in different gesture areas of the plurality of gesture areas, different graphical items, the graphical items including one or more of: a video, a bitmap, or instructional information.