Touch and Slide User Interface on Touch Sensitive Screen

Abstract

A touch and slide user interface (TSUI) is provided for entering data into a computer device. A tap and hold gesture from a first finger on a touch sensitive display screen of the device is detected to initiate the TSUI. A sliding gesture by a second finger touching the touch sensitive display screen is detected. A virtual wheel is rotated on the touch sensitive display screen in response to the sliding gesture, in which the virtual wheel has a set of characters positioned around its edge. Different ones of the set of characters are indicated for selection in response to rotating the virtual wheel. One of the set of characters is selected for inputting to the device by detecting when the second finger is lifted from the touch sensitive screen.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for entering data to a device, the method comprising:
 detecting a tap and hold gesture from a first finger on a display screen of the device to initiate a tap and slide user interface (TSUI);   detecting a sliding gesture by a second finger touching the display screen;   rotating a virtual wheel on the display screen in response to the sliding gesture, in which the virtual wheel has a set of characters positioned around its edge; and   selecting one of the set of characters for inputting to the device by detecting when the second finger is lifted from the display screen.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further including:
 detecting a sliding gesture by a third finger in concert with detecting the sliding gesture by the second finger; and   replacing the set of characters with a second set of characters positioned around the edge of the virtual wheel.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further including:
 detecting a sliding gesture by a fourth finger in concert with detecting the sliding gesture by the second finger and the sliding gesture by the third finger; and   replacing a current set of characters with a third set of characters positioned around the edge of the virtual wheel.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further including:
 detecting a sliding gesture produced by a thumb, in which the sliding gesture produced by the thumb is oriented in an approximate left-right orientation on the display screen; and   in which rotating the virtual wheel is responsive to the sliding gesture produced by the thumb.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further including:
 detecting a sliding gesture produced by a thumb, in which the sliding gesture produced by the thumb is oriented in an approximate left-right orientation on the touch sensitive display screen;   rotating a second virtual wheel on the touch sensitive display screen in response to the sliding gesture produced by the thumb, in which the virtual wheel has a set of characters positioned around its edge;   indicating different ones of the set of characters for selection in response to rotating the virtual wheel; and   selecting one of the set of characters for inputting to the device by detecting when the thumb is lifted from the touch sensitive screen.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further including:
 detecting a sliding gesture produced by a thumb, in which the sliding gesture produced by the thumb is oriented in an approximate left-right orientation on the display screen; and   replacing the set of characters with a second set of characters positioned around the edge of the virtual wheel in response to the sliding gesture produced by the thumb.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , in which the set characters includes words or phrases. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further including detecting a speed of sliding the second finger and using the speed of sliding to control a rate of rotation of the virtual wheel. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further including indicating different ones of the set of characters for selection in response to rotating the virtual wheel. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , in which indicating different ones of the set of characters is performed by highlighting one of the set of characters. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further including re-centering the virtual wheel by detecting when the second finger is lifted from the display screen. 
     
     
         12 . A device comprising:
 a display screen and storage memory coupled to a processor operable to execute software instructions stored in the memory;   a touch sensing mechanism for touch detection on the display screen coupled to the processor; and   wherein by executing the software instructions, the processor is operable to perform a method comprising:   detecting a tap and hold gesture from a first finger on the display screen of the device to initiate a tap and slide user interface (TSUI);   detecting a sliding gesture by a second finger touching the display screen;   rotating a virtual wheel on the display screen in response to the sliding gesture, in which the virtual wheel has a set of characters positioned around its edge; and   selecting one of the set of characters for inputting to the device by detecting when the second finger is lifted from the display screen.   
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 12 , further including:
 detecting a sliding gesture by a third finger in concert with detecting the sliding gesture by the second finger; and   replacing the set of characters with a second set of characters positioned around the edge of the virtual wheel.   
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 13 , further including:
 detecting a sliding gesture by a fourth finger in concert with detecting the sliding gesture by the second finger and the sliding gesture by the third finger; and   replacing a current set of characters with a third set of characters positioned around the edge of the virtual wheel.   
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 12 , further including:
 detecting a sliding gesture produced by a thumb, in which the sliding gesture produced by the thumb is oriented in an approximate left-right orientation on the display screen; and   in which rotating the virtual wheel is responsive to the sliding gesture produced by the thumb.   
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 12 , further including:
 detecting a sliding gesture produced by a thumb, in which the sliding gesture produced by the thumb is oriented in an approximate left-right orientation on the touch sensitive display screen;   rotating a second virtual wheel on the touch sensitive display screen in response to the sliding gesture produced by the thumb, in which the virtual wheel has a set of characters positioned around its edge;   indicating different ones of the set of characters for selection in response to rotating the virtual wheel; and   selecting one of the set of characters for inputting to the device by detecting when the thumb is lifted from the touch sensitive screen.   
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 12 , further including:
 detecting a sliding gesture produced by a thumb, in which the sliding gesture produced by the thumb is oriented in an approximate left-right orientation on the display screen; and   replacing the set of characters with a second set of characters positioned around the edge of the virtual wheel in response to the sliding gesture produced by the thumb.   
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 12 , in which the set of characters includes words or phrases. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 12 , further including detecting a speed of sliding the second finger and using the speed of sliding to control a rate of rotation of the virtual wheel. 
     
     
         20 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method for operating a computer device, the method comprising:
 detecting a tap and hold gesture from a first finger on a display screen of the device to initiate a tap and slide user interface (TSUI);   detecting a sliding gesture by a second finger touching the display screen;   rotating a virtual wheel on the display screen in response to the sliding gesture, in which the virtual wheel has a set of characters positioned around its edge; and   selecting one of the set of characters for inputting to the device by detecting when the second finger is lifted from the display screen.