Multitouch gestures, mid-drag gestures, microgestures by Apple

By
On April 14, 2011

Apple is working on new ways to simplify their multi-touch gesturing on both iOS devices and Mac’s via multi-touch and/or Magic Trackpads indicated by a new series of patent applications that have surfaced at the US Patent and Trademark Office recently unveiled by PatentlyApple. This new method includes the use of mid-drag gestures, microgestures within gestures, and other gesture modification motions to modify and/or alter user interface behavior.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs explains the pinch zoom gesture to the Macworld audience at the January 2007 iPhone introduction in San Francisco

Apple CEO Steve Jobs explains the pinch zoom gesture to the Macworld audience at the January 2007 iPhone introduction in San Francisco.

Interestingly, these new gestures have a really unique name such as: Ohm and Wiggle (multiple short movements with sharp changes in an arbitrary direction) also Star, Crossbar, and more. They involve drawing familiar shapes with your finger, like stars, arrows, circle, crossbar, the infinity sign and other.


One of the gesture modification motions already reviewed to date relates to Apple’s use of Spaces on iOS devices.

This new Apple’s patent for mid-drag gestures, microgestures provides a new way how iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users interact with a user interface, such as modifying user interface behaviors, changing optionally displayed items, etc. According to Apple, the use of mid-drag gestures reduces the cognitive burden on a user and create a more efficient human-machine interface. For battery-operated devices, enabling a user to use mid-drag gestures allows for faster and more efficient use of user interfaces, thereby saving battery life.

Various mid-drag gestures, microgestures within gestures, and other gesture modification motions performed contiguously within an overall gesture, may be used for any suitable purpose, including without limitation, turning on or off alignment guides, snapping to varying proportional display modes, changing anchor points in a document, using a microgesture as a substitute for a function key on a keyboard, snap-to-grid display mode, adding arrowheads or other features to displayed objects, snapping to various rotation angles, adding control points to curves, while dragging a figure over an electronic canvas, inserting one or more displayed objects at the current contact point in response to detecting one or more microgestures, transitioning a device to a next operational mode in a series of two or more operational modes, (e.g., transitioning through text-to-speech and displayed output modes, setting ring tones, setting auto-answer of a mobile phone, changing graphics modes etc.).

Below is a complete chart containing three sets of newly proposed gestures based on using one, two and three finger combinations. Many of these gestures have been named such as ‚Äúohm‚Äù, “wiggle”, and ‚Äústar‚Äù to help iPhone users easier to remember the movement in a more subtle manner.

New Gesture Charts (One, Two, and Three finger gestures presented)

Explanation of the gesture charts:

One Finger Gestures

Apple’s patent FIG. 9 is a set of exemplary illustrations of one-finger mid-drag gestures in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 9a illustrates a wiggle mid-drag gesture, which includes multiple short movements with sharp changes in an arbitrary direction. Apple’s patent
FIG. 9b illustrates a half-circle, or scoop mid-drag gesture.
FIG. 9c illustrates both clockwise and counter-clockwise loop mid-drag gestures.
FIG. 9d illustrates a backtrack mid-drag gesture.
FIG. 9e illustrates an infinity mid-drag gesture.
FIG. 9fillustrates an arrow mid-drag gesture.
FIG. 9g illustrates a star mid-drag gesture.
FIG. 9h illustrates a crossbar mid-drag gesture.
FIG. 9i illustrates an ohm mid-drag gesture.

Two Finger Gestures

Apple’s patent FIG. 10 is a set of exemplary illustrations of two-finger microgestures in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 10a illustrates a radial tick with a first finger contact microgesture.
FIG. 10billustrates a radial tick with a second finger contact microgesture.
FIG. 10c illustrates a radial tick with both finger contacts microgesture.
FIG. 10d illustrates a tangential tick with a first finger contact microgesture.
FIG. 10e illustrates a tangential tick with a second finger contact microgesture.
FIG. 10f illustrates a tangential tick with both finger contacts microgesture.

Three Finger Gestures

Apple’s patent FIG. 11 is a set of exemplary illustrations of three-finger microgestures in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 11a illustrates an axial tick with a first finger contact microgesture.
FIG. 11billustrates an axial tick with a second finger contact microgesture.
FIG. 11c illustrates an axial tick with a third finger contact microgesture.
FIG. 11d illustrates an off-axial tick with a first finger contact microgesture.
FIG. 11e illustrates an off-axial tick with a second finger contact microgesture.
FIG. 11f illustrates an off-axial tick with a third finger contact microgesture.
FIG. 11g illustrates a circular microgesture with a first finger contact.
FIG. 11h illustrates a circular microgesture with a second finger contact.
FIG. 11iillustrates a circular microgesture with a third finger contact.

Reference: https://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2011/04/apple-working-on-simplifying-multi-touch-gesturing.html
https://www.gadgetsdna.com/apple-to-introduce-simplified-multi-touch-gesturing/10507/