Abstract:
A method for displaying a virtual momentum or inertia of an object includes detecting a slide operation applied to the object and obtaining information of the slide operation. An initial speed, a first slide direction, and a sliding distance of the object are calculated according to the obtained information after a user ceases applying a slide operation to the object. A slide path of the object is determined according to the calculated initial speed, the calculated first slide direction, and the calculated sliding distance. The object is controlled to continue sliding, subject to an apparent friction and apparent collisions with edges of a display screen, along the determined slide path after the user ceases to apply an actual sliding operation.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    The subject matter herein generally relates to display technologies, and particularly relates to a method and a system for controlling the display of a slide path of an object. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Touch screens are provided on electronic devices for direct interaction with users. An icon displayed on the touch screen guides the user to slide the icon along an indicated path to unlock the touch screen or to run applications associated with the icon. Typically, the icon immediately stops sliding when the sliding by the users stops. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]    Implementations of the present technology will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures. 
           [0004]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of one embodiment of a system for controlling to display slide path of a slid object and a hardware environment in which the system runs. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic view of an embodiment showing a slide path of a slid object, simulating the slide path of a slid object colliding with one edge of touch screen. 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is a diagrammatic view of another embodiment showing a slide path of a slid object, simulating the slide path of a slid object not colliding with edges of touch screen. 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart of a method for controlling to display slide path of a slid object. 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  is a sub-flowchart of block  302  of  FIG. 4 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0009]    It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the different figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, and procedures components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevant feature being described. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts have been exaggerated to better illustrate details and features of the present disclosure. 
         [0010]    Several definitions that apply throughout this disclosure will now be presented. 
         [0011]    The word “module,” and “unit” as used hereinafter, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, written in a programming language, such as, for example, Java, C, or assembly. One or more software instructions in the modules may be embedded in firmware. It will be appreciated that modules may comprise connected logic units, such as gates and flip-flops, and may comprise programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. The modules described herein may be implemented as either software and/or hardware modules and may be stored in any type of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or other computer storage device. The term “comprising,” when utilized, means “including, but not necessarily limited to”; it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in the so-described combination, group, series and the like. 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  illustrates a system  100  for controlling the apparent inertia or momentum of an object and its slide path. The system  100  can be installed and run on an electronic device  200 , such as, a phone, a tablet computer, or the like. The electronic device  200  can include a touch screen  201  and a storage unit  204 . The storage unit  204  can store objects  202  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) such as characters, pictures, and icons that can be displayed on the touch screen  201 . The object can be slid when a user applies a slide operation to it. As shown in  FIG. 2 , in at least one embodiment, the object  202  is an icon. 
         [0013]    The system  100  can include a slide detection unit  10 , a self-slide control unit  20 , and a display control unit  30 . 
         [0014]    The slide detection unit  10  can detect a slide operation applied to the object  202  displayed on the touch screen  201  and obtain information of the slide operation. In at least one embodiment, the sliding information of the slide operation can include coordinates of starting point (X1, Y1) of the slide operation, coordinates of ending point (X2, Y2) of the slide operation, and duration T of the slide operation. The starting point of the slide operation is the point a user touches to begin dragging the object  202 . The end point of the slide operation is the last point the user touches to stop the dragging of the object  202 . The points (X1, Y1) are coordinates of the starting point of a slide operation. The points (X2, Y2) are coordinates of the end point of a slide operation. The period T is the duration of time in which a user drags the object  202  from the starting point to the end point. 
         [0015]    In one embodiment, a coordinate system defining the initial and end points is based on the size of display area  205  (show in  FIG. 2 ) of the touch screen  201 . For example, one of the four vertexes of the display area  205  is an origin point 0 (0, 0) of the coordinate system, such as left bottom vertex  1  shown in  FIG. 2 . One of two adjacent lines vertically passing through the origin point 0 (0, 0) is an X-axis of the coordinate system, and another line vertically passing through the origin point 0 (0, 0) is a Y-axis of the coordinate system. So, each location on the display area  205  of the touch screen  201  is associated with points (X, Y) of the coordinates system, that is to say, a location of the display area  205  can be expressed by associated points (X, Y) of the coordinates system. 
         [0016]    The self-slide control unit  20  can calculate an initial speed, a first slide direction, and a slide distance of the object  202  according to the obtained information of the slide operation after the slide operation applied to the slid object ceases. The self-slide control unit  20  can determine a slide path of the object  202  according to the calculated initial speed, the calculated first slide direction, and the calculated sliding distance. The self-slide control unit  20  also controls the slid object  202  to slide along the determined slide path. The object  202  continues to slide at a decreasing speed after the slide operation applied to the object  202  by the user is stopped. 
         [0017]    In at least one embodiment, when the slide operation applied to the object  202  ceases, the self-slide control unit  20  calculates the initial speed according to a formula V=2√{square root over ((Y2−Y1) 2 +(X2−X1) 2 )}{square root over ((Y2−Y1) 2 +(X2−X1) 2 )}/T. The self-slide control unit  20  calculates the first direction according to a formula 
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         [0000]    The self-slide control unit  20  calculates the distance according to a formula 
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         [0000]    The parameter U is a friction coefficient which affects the self sliding of the slid object. The magnitude of the parameter U can be preset by a user. 
         [0018]    The display control unit  30  can control the display of the slide path of the object  202  on the touch screen  201  after the slide operation applied to the object  202  stops. Specifically, the display control unit  30  controls the display of the apparent sliding at different location points of the display area  205  associated with different time points after the user stops applying a slide operation to the object  202 . 
         [0019]    In an alternative embodiment, the self-slide control unit  20  can include a collision determination module  21  and a slide direction change module  22 . 
         [0020]    The collision determination module  21  can determine whether the object  202  collides with the edge  203  of the touch screen  201  during the self sliding process of the object  202 . If the distance from the end point of the touching to an edge of the touch screen  201  along the first direction is S 1 , and S 1 &lt;S, the distance S is calculated according to the formula 
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         [0000]    and the collision determination module  21  determines that the object  202  collides with the edge  203  of the touch screen  201  during the self sliding process. When S 1 &gt;S or S 1 =S, the collision determination module  21  determines that the object  202  finishes the self sliding to stop along the first direction before colliding with the edge  203  of the touch screen  201 . 
         [0021]    When the object  202  does collide with the edge  203  of the touch screen  201 , the slide direction change module  22  can change the first slide direction to a second slide direction, and then the object  202  continues to slide along the second slide direction. The second slide direction is determined according to the angle between a line along the first slide direction and the line represented by the edge  203 , with which the object  202  collides, of the touch screen  201 . 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  illustrates an example of the self-sliding process of an object  202  after a slide operation applied to the object  202  is stopped. In the embodiment, the object  202  is a circle icon P in  FIG. 2 . When a slide operation applied to the icon P is stopped at point A, for example, a user drags the icon P to slide and then releases the icon P at point A, the icon P then continues sliding in the first direction AB. In this embodiment, the line AB connects with the edge  203  of the touch screen  201  at point B along the first direction AB. The distance from the end point A to the edge  203  of the touch screen  201  along the first direction AB is S 1 , and S 1 &lt;S, the S being calculated according to the formula 
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         [0000]    In this case, the collision determination module  21  determines that the icon P collides at point B with the edge  203  of the touch screen  201  in the self slide process in the first direction AB. Then, the slide direction change module  22  changes the first slide direction AB of the icon P to a second slide direction BC, and the icon P self slides along the second direction BC. The distance which the icon P slides along the second direction BC is S 2 , and S 1 +S 2 =S. The angle between the first direction AB and the edge  203  of the touch screen  201  is α, the angle between the second direction BC and the edge  203  of the touch screen  201  is β, and α=β. At same time, the display control unit  30  controls the display of the slide path of the icon P along the direction AB and the display of the slide path of the icon P along the direction BC. 
         [0023]      FIG. 3  illustrates another example of the self-slide process of an object  202  after a slide operation applied to the object  202  is stopped. In this embodiment, when a user drags the icon P to slide and releases the icon P at point A, the icon P then continues to slide itself along the first direction AM and stops at point M. The distance from the point A to point M is S, the S is calculated according to the formula 
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         [0000]    The line AM strikes the edge of the touch screen  201  at point N along the first direction AM. The distance from the point A to point N is S 1 , and S 1 &gt;S. In this case, the collision determination module  21  determines that the object  202  does not collide with the edge of the touch screen  201  during the process of self-slide of the object  202 . 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , a flowchart of a method for controlling the display of a slide path of a slid object is presented in accordance with an example embodiment. The example method is provided by way of example, as there are a variety of ways to carry out the method. The method described below can be carried out using the configurations illustrated in  FIG. 1 , for example, and various elements of these figures are referenced in explaining the example method. Each block shown in  FIG. 3  represents one or more processes, methods, or subroutines, carried out in the exemplary method. Additionally, the illustrated order of blocks is by example only and the order of the blocks can change. The exemplary method can begin at block  301 . 
         [0025]    At block  301 , the slide detection unit detects a user applying a slide operation to an object displayed on the touch screen and obtains information of the slide operation. 
         [0026]    In at least one embodiment, the information of the slide operation can include coordinates of starting point (X1, Y1), coordinates of end point (X2, Y2) of the slide operation, and time duration T of the slide operation. 
         [0027]    At block  302 , the self-slide control unit calculates an initial speed, a first slide direction, and a slide distance of the object according to the obtained information after the slide operation applied to the object is stopped. A slide path of the object is determined according to the calculated initial speed, the calculated first slide direction, and the calculated slide distance, and the object is controlled to slide itself following the determined slide path after the user ceases applying a slide operation to the object. 
         [0028]    In at least one embodiment, when the slide operation applied to the object is stopped, the self-slide control unit calculates the initial speed according to a formula V=2√{square root over ((Y2−Y1) 2 +(X2−X1) 2 )}{square root over ((Y2−Y1) 2 +(X2−X1) 2 )}/T, calculates the first direction according to a formula 
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         [0000]    and calculates the distance according to a formula 
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         [0000]    The points (X1, Y1) are coordinates of the starting point of a slide operation. The points (X2, Y2) are coordinates of ending point of a slide operation. The period T is a time duration for which a user drags the object  202  from the starting point to the ending point. The parameter U is a friction coefficient which affects the self slide of the object. 
         [0029]    At block  303 , the display control unit controls the display of the slide path of the object after the slide operation applied to the object by a user is stopped. 
         [0030]    In at least one embodiment, the display control unit controls the display of the object at different locations of the display area of the touch screen associated with different time points after the slide operation applied to the object by a user is stopped. 
         [0031]      FIG. 5  illustrates a sub-flowchart of the block  302  in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0032]    At block  3021 , the collision determination module determines whether the object collides with the edge of the touch screen during the process of self-slide of the object; if yes, the process goes to block  3022 ; otherwise, the process goes to block  303 . 
         [0033]    In at least one embodiment, if the distance S 1  from the ending point of the touching to an edge of the touch screen along the first direction is less than the distance S, the distance S being calculated according to the formula 
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         [0000]    the collision determination module determines that the object collides with the edge of the touch screen during the self sliding process. 
         [0034]    At block  3022 , the slide direction change module changes the first slide direction to a second slide direction according to the angle between the first slide direction and a line represented by the edge of the touch screen. The angle between the first slide direction and the edge of the touch screen struck by the first slide direction equals the angle between the second slide direction and the collided edge of the touch screen. 
         [0035]    The embodiments shown and described above are only examples. Many details are often found in the art such as the other features of an electronic device. Therefore, many such details are neither shown nor described. Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present technology have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the present disclosure, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in the detail, including in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of the parts within the principles of the present disclosure, up to and including the full extent established by the broad general meaning of the terms used in the claims. It will therefore be appreciated that the embodiments described above may be modified within the scope of the claims.