Patent Publication Number: US-8970633-B2

Title: Touch wheel zoom and pan

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Handheld computing devices are ubiquitous. Common handheld computing devices include, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a music player (e.g., MP3 player), a movie player (e.g., MPEG player), a personal game system, and so on. These handheld computing devices may run a variety of applications including image viewing programs, word processors, video games, telephony, email, and so on. These handheld computing devices may include a variety of well known input controls suited to their applications. For example, handheld computing devices may include keypads, touch sensors, buttons, wheels, sliders, and so on. Furthermore, these input devices may be both physical (e.g., keypad with fixed, physical buttons) or virtual (e.g., keypad displayed on touch sensitive display). Thus, numerous combinations of input devices and applications are available. However, interesting combinations of input devices and applications continue to arise. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate various example systems, methods, and other example embodiments of various aspects of the invention. It will be appreciated that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in some examples one element may be designed as multiple elements or that multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of another element may be implemented as an external component and vice versa. Furthermore, elements may not be drawn to scale. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an example system associated with zooming using a touch wheel control on a handheld computing device. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates another example system associated with zooming and panning using a touch wheel control on a handheld computing device. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates another example system associated with zooming and panning using a touch wheel control on a handheld computing device. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an example view window associated with zooming and panning using a touch wheel control on a handheld computing device. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an example method associated with zooming using a touch wheel control on a handheld computing device. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates another example method associated with zooming and panning using a touch wheel control on a handheld computing device. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates another example method associated with zooming and panning using a touch wheel control on a handheld computing device. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates an example computing environment in which example systems and methods, and equivalents, may operate. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A handheld computing device may display images (e.g., digital photographs). Conventionally a user may have been able to zoom in or zoom out on a displayed image using a dedicated zoom button. The dedicated zoom button may have been physical (e.g., thumb wheel, arrow button) or virtual (e.g., arrow displayed on touch sensitive display). A handheld computing device may include a conventional touch wheel. The touch wheel may have been used to navigate through a menu, to control a scroll bar, and so on. Example systems and methods described herein accept input from a touch wheel to control the zoom level of a displayed image. Example systems and methods described herein may also accept input from an inner portion of a touch wheel to control panning actions on a displayed image. In one example, if a displayed image is “zoomed out” all the way, then a pan instruction may be interpreted as a scroll instruction and a different digital image may be displayed. 
     The following includes definitions of selected terms employed herein. The definitions include various examples and/or forms of components that fall within the scope of a term and that may be used for implementation. The examples are not intended to be limiting. Both singular and plural forms of terms may be within the definitions. 
     References to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “one example”, “an example”, and so on, indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) so described may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation, but that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element or limitation. Furthermore, repeated use of the phrase “in one embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, though it may. 
     ASIC: application specific integrated circuit. 
     CD: compact disk. 
     CD-R: CD recordable. 
     CD-RW: CD rewriteable. 
     DVD: digital versatile disk and/or digital video disk. 
     HTTP: hypertext transfer protocol. 
     LAN: local area network. 
     PCI: peripheral component interconnect. 
     PCIE: PCI express. 
     RAM: random access memory. 
     DRAM: dynamic RAM. 
     SRAM: synchronous RAM. 
     ROM: read only memory. 
     PROM: programmable ROM. 
     EPROM: erasable PROM. 
     EEPROM: electrically erasable PROM. 
     USB: universal serial bus. 
     WAN: wide area network. 
     “Computer component”, as used herein, refers to a computer-related entity (e.g., hardware, firmware, software in execution, combinations thereof). Computer components may include, for example, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, and a computer. A computer component(s) may reside within a process and/or thread. A computer component may be localized on one computer and/or may be distributed between multiple computers. 
     “Computer communication”, as used herein, refers to a communication between computing devices (e.g., computer, personal digital assistant, cellular telephone) and can be, for example, a network transfer, a file transfer, an applet transfer, an email, an HTTP transfer, and so on. A computer communication can occur across, for example, a wireless system (e.g., IEEE 802.11), an Ethernet system (e.g., IEEE 802.3), a token ring system (e.g., IEEE 802.5), a LAN, a WAN, a point-to-point system, a circuit switching system, a packet switching system, and so on. 
     “Computer-readable medium”, as used herein, refers to a medium that stores signals, instructions and/or data. A computer-readable medium may take forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media, and volatile media. Non-volatile media may include, for example, optical disks, magnetic disks, and so on. Volatile media may include, for example, semiconductor memories, dynamic memory, and so on. Common forms of a computer-readable medium may include, but are not limited to, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, other magnetic medium, an ASIC, a CD, other optical medium, a RAM, a ROM, a memory chip or card, a memory stick, and other media from which a computer, a processor or other electronic device can read. 
     “Data store”, as used herein, refers to a physical and/or logical entity that can store data. A data store may be, for example, a database, a table, a file, a list, a queue, a heap, a memory, a register, and so on. In different examples, a data store may reside in one logical and/or physical entity and/or may be distributed between two or more logical and/or physical entities. 
     “Logic”, as used herein, includes but is not limited to hardware, firmware, software in execution on a machine, and/or combinations of each to perform a function(s) or an action(s), and/or to cause a function or action from another logic, method, and/or system. Logic may include a software controlled microprocessor, a discrete logic (e.g., ASIC), an analog circuit, a digital circuit, a programmed logic device, a memory device containing instructions, and so on. Logic may include one or more gates, combinations of gates, or other circuit components. Where multiple logical logics are described, it may be possible to incorporate the multiple logical logics into one physical logic. Similarly, where a single logical logic is described, it may be possible to distribute that single logical logic between multiple physical logics. 
     An “operable connection”, or a connection by which entities are “operably connected”, is one in which signals, physical communications, and/or logical communications may be sent and/or received. An operable connection may include a physical interface, an electrical interface, and/or a data interface. An operable connection may include differing combinations of interfaces and/or connections sufficient to allow operable control. For example, two entities can be operably connected to communicate signals to each other directly or through one or more intermediate entities (e.g., processor, operating system, logic, software). Logical and/or physical communication channels can be used to create an operable connection. 
     “Signal”, as used herein, includes but is not limited to, electrical signals, optical signals, analog signals, digital signals, data, computer instructions, processor instructions, messages, a bit, a bit stream, or other means that can be received, transmitted and/or detected. 
     “Software”, as used herein, includes but is not limited to, one or more executable instructions that cause a computer, processor, or other electronic device to perform functions, actions and/or behave in a desired manner. “Software” does not refer to stored instructions being claimed as stored instructions per se (e.g., a program listing). The instructions may be embodied in various forms including routines, algorithms, modules, methods, threads, and/or programs including separate applications or code from dynamically linked libraries. 
     “User”, as used herein, includes but is not limited to one or more persons, software, computers or other devices, or combinations of these. 
     Some portions of the detailed descriptions that follow are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are used by those skilled in the art to convey the substance of their work to others. An algorithm, here and generally, is conceived to be a sequence of operations that produce a result. The operations may include physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, the physical quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated in a logic, and so on. The physical manipulations create a concrete, tangible, useful, real-world result. 
     It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, and so on. It should be borne in mind, however, that these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise, it is appreciated that throughout the description, terms including processing, computing, determining, and so on, refer to actions and processes of a computer system, logic, processor, or similar electronic device that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an example system  100  associated with zooming (e.g., zoom in, zoom out) an image using a touch wheel control on a handheld computing device. The handheld computing device may be, for example, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a personal game system, a dedicated image viewer, and so on. The handheld computing device can display an image and can be configured to allow a user to zoom in or zoom out using input received from the touch wheel control. The touch wheel control may be described, more generally, as a touch sensor. As used herein, “touch sensor” refers to a type of control commonly found on handheld computing devices like MP3 players, laptop computers, and so on. Example “touch sensors” are described in United States Patent Application Publications 2004/0252109, 2007/0273671. A touch wheel and a touch sensor are capable of providing a signal in response to a rotational motion on the touch device. For example, rotating a finger around the outside of a touch wheel can generate a signal indicating the direction of rotation and, in some cases, the speed in which the finger was rotated. 
     System  100  includes a receive logic  110 . Receive logic  110  will receive a rotational motion signal  130 . The rotational motion signal  130  may be received from a touch sensor associated with the handheld computing device. The touch sensor may be, for example, a resistive touch sensor, a capacitive touch sensor, an inductive touch sensor, a surface acoustic wave sensing touch sensor, a pressure sensing touch sensor, an optical sensing touch sensor, and an electro-mechanical touch sensor. While seven types of touch sensors are described, it is to be appreciated that a rotational motion signal may be received from different types of touch sensors having different configurations. In different examples, the touch sensor may be overlaid on a keypad associated with the handheld computing device, may be integrated into a keypad associated with the handheld computing device, and so on. 
     As described in the published patent applications cited herein, the touch sensor may be formed as a closed loop having a physical constraint formed on an upper surface of the touch sensor. The constraint may be co-extensive with the outer perimeter of the closed loop. In one example, the rotational motion signal is generated in response to an interaction with the closed loop. In other examples the rotational motion signal may be generated in response to other interactions with the touch sensor. Conventionally, the rotational motion signal has been used to perform tasks like controlling a scroll bar, scrolling between files, traversing a menu, controlling an MP3 player volume, and so on. However, the rotational motion signal has not conventionally been used to control the zoom level of an image displayed, for example, on a PDA. 
     The rotational motion signal  130  has a rotational direction that can be interpreted to indicate a desired change in the zoom level. For example, a clockwise rotational motion may indicate a desire to zoom in while a counter-clockwise rotational motion may indicate a desire to zoom out. Different users may have different preferences concerning which rotational direction is to be interpreted to zoom in and/or zoom out and thus, in one example, updating a zoom level in response to the rotational motion may be configurable. 
     System  100  includes a control logic  120  to selectively change the zoom level in response to the rotational motion signal. Changing the zoom level may include, for example, updating a value stored in a memory, changing a value in a register, updating a value in a data store, providing a signal to a zoom level logic, and so on. Having changed the zoom level associated with the displayed image, control logic  120  may provide a control signal  140  to control the handheld computing device to display the image in accordance with the zoom level. In different examples the control signal  140  may provide the zoom level to the handheld computing device, may provide a pointer to the zoom level, may generate an interrupt in a screen refresh logic, and so on. 
     In one example, the rotational motion signal  130  has an angular velocity associated with how quickly the rotational motion occurred. While “angular velocity” is described, more generally the rotational motion signal  130  may include a component that describes the rate at which a user produced a rotational motion on a touch sensor. Receive logic  110  and/or control logic  120  may interpret this angular velocity as a desired rate of change for the zoom level. Thus, the control logic  120  may change the zoom level at a first rate associated with a first angular velocity and at a second rate associated with a second angular velocity. Thus, a user may zoom in more slowly or more quickly depending on how quick a rotational motion they make on the touch sensor. Once again different users may have different preferences for zoom speed and thus, in one example, this may be a configurable parameter. 
     Thus, system  100  includes a logic  110  to receive a rotational motion signal  130  from a touch sensor. System  100  also includes a control logic  120  to selectively update a zoom level based on the rotational motion signal  130 . The control logic  120  also controls a handheld computing device to display an image in accordance with the zoom level updated in response to the rotational motion signal  130 . The control logic  120  may provide a control signal  140  to control the handheld computing device. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates another example system associated with zooming and panning using a touch wheel control on a handheld computing device. System  200  includes elements similar to those described in connection with system  100  ( FIG. 1 ). For example, system  200  includes a receive logic  210  to receive a rotational motion signal  230  associated with a zoom level change. Similarly, system  200  includes a control logic  220  to update a zoom level and to control a handheld computing device to display an image in accordance with the updated zoom level. The control logic  220  may exercise this control by providing a control signal  240  to the handheld computing device. However, the elements in system  200  may perform additional actions. 
     For example, in system  200 , the receive logic  210  may, in addition to receiving the rotational motion signal  230 , receive a flick motion signal  250 . A “flick motion signal”  250  is associated with a “flicking” action on the touch sensor. To produce a rotational motion, a user may rotate their finger around the outside of a touch wheel. To produce a flicking motion, a user may position their finger in the middle of the touch wheel and then move it outwards towards the edge of the touch wheel. The initial position need not necessarily be in the center of the touch wheel but may, more generally, be a location inside the outer perimeter of the touch wheel. A “flick’ therefore is defined as being a motion that starts with a touch at one location inside the touch wheel, progresses through one or more touches at one or more other locations inside the touch wheel, and terminates with the touch being lifted. A flick motion may have both a direction and a speed. 
     When an image has been zoomed in on, less than all of the image may be displayed by the handheld computing device. A user may therefore wish to “pan” a view to different visible portions of the image. Conventionally this type of panning has been accomplished using inputs from devices like joysticks, arrow buttons, knobs, and so on. Once again these devices may have been physical and/or logical. However, system  200  facilitates interpreting flick motion signal  250  to achieve panning. Flick motion signal  250  may have a flick direction component. Receive logic  210  may interpret this flick direction component to indicate a desired relocation direction of a view window associated with the image. In this example, the control logic  220  is to control the handheld computing device to relocate the view window in response to the flick motion signal. Thus, in response to a flick in a certain direction, a view window may be relocated to display a different portion of a displayed image. 
     The flick motion signal  250  may be interpreted in different ways based on different values for a zoom level associated with a displayed image. For example, if the image has been zoomed in on, then the flick motion signal  250  may be interpreted as a pan signal. However, in one example, if the image has not been zoomed in on, then the zoom state may be interpreted as a “scroll” state. In this example, the flick motion signal  250  may be interpreted as a scroll command to move to a different image stored on and/or available to the handheld computing device. Thus, in one example, the control logic  220  is to control the handheld computing device to selectively relocate the view window in the flick direction within the image upon determining that the zoom level is greater than a minimum zoom level. However, in another example, the control logic  220  is to control the handheld computing device to selectively relocate the view window to a second image upon determining that the zoom level is equal to the minimum zoom level. 
     Recall that the rotational motion signal  230  may have a velocity component. Similarly, the flick motion signal  250  may have a flick velocity component. The receive logic  210  and/or the control logic  220  may interpret this flick velocity component to indicate a desired rate of change for relocating the view window. In one example, the flick velocity component may be associated with a number of flick motion signals received within a predetermined period of time. For example, making a single flick per second may indicate a first desired pan or scroll speed while making five flicks per second may indicate a second, greater, desired pan or scroll speed. 
     When the flick motion signal  250  is interpreted as a scroll signal, the scrolling may be performed through an ordered set of images. The images may be stored and/or available to the handheld computing device. In this example, the control logic  220  may control the handheld computing device to selectively relocate the view window to a previous image in an ordered set of images upon determining that the flick direction was up and/or left. Conversely, the control logic  220  may control the handheld computing device to selectively relocate the view window to a subsequent image in the ordered set of images upon determining that the flick direction is down and/or right. Once again, different users may have different preferences for which flick direction(s) is to be interpreted as a previous/next signal and thus, in one example, this may be a configurable process. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates another example system associated with zooming and panning using a touch wheel control on a handheld computing device. While system  100  ( FIG. 1 ) and system  200  ( FIG. 2 ) were illustrated with just their elements, system  320  is illustrated inside a handheld computing device  300 . 
     Handheld computing device  300  may be, for example, a PDA, a cellular telephone, a GPS device, a combination of these types of devices, and so on. Handheld computing device  300  includes a memory  310 . Memory  310  may store a digital image and a parameter(s) associated with the digital image. The parameter may be, for example, a zoom level, a view window size, a view window location, and so on. Device  300  may also include a display  315  on which a digital image may be displayed. The image may be displayed to comport with the parameters (e.g., zoom level, view window location). 
     Device  300  includes a touch sensor  330 . Touch sensor  330  is illustrated as being circular and as having an outer closed loop portion  332  to detect a rotational motion interaction. Touch sensor  330  is also illustrated as having an inner pad portion  334  to detect a flick motion interaction. While a circular touch sensor  330  is illustrated, it is to be appreciated that touch sensor  330 , and other touch sensors referred to herein, may have other shapes including, but not limited to, an oval shape, a rectangular shape, a diamond shape, an oblong shape, and so on. 
     Device  300  includes a system  320  that includes a receive logic  322 . Receive logic  322  is configured to receive a rotational motion signal from the touch sensor  330  and to receive a flick motion signal from the touch sensor  330 . The rotational motion signal may be generated by outer portion  332  while the flick motion signal may be generated by inner portion  334 . System  320  also includes a control logic  324  to control the presentation of the image on the display  315 . The control logic  324  is to control the presentation in response to the rotational motion signal and/or the flick motion signal. 
     The rotational motion signal may have a rotational direction that indicates a desired change in a zoom level of the presentation. Therefore, in one example, the control logic  324  is to selectively increase the zoom level of the presentation in response to a clockwise rotational direction and to selectively decrease the zoom level of the presentation in response to a counter-clockwise rotational direction. Similarly, the flick motion signal may have a flick direction that indicates a desired relocation of a view window associated with the presentation. Therefore in one example, the control logic  324  is to control the presentation of the image on display  315  in response to the flick motion signal by selectively relocating the view window in the flick direction within the image. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an image  400 . Image  400  may be displayed on, for example, a handheld computing device like those described above in connection with system  100  ( FIG. 1 ), system  200  ( FIG. 2 ), and system  320  ( FIG. 3 ). Therefore a user may have “zoomed in” on a portion of image  400 . The zoomed in portion may be visible in a view window  410 . If the user zooms in even further, then a smaller portion of image  400  may be visible in view window  410 A. One skilled in the art will be familiar with the traditional concepts of zooming in and out and resizing a view window. One skilled in the art will also be familiar with the traditional concept of relocating view window  410  to pan to a different portion of image  400 . However, one skilled in the art will recognize that the zoom and pan actions illustrated for image  400  have typically not been controlled using a touch wheel form of a touch sensor. 
       FIG. 4  also illustrates an ordered set of images that includes a first image  430 , a last image  450 , and an image  440  located somewhere in the ordered set between the first image  430  and the last image  450 . Image  440  may be displayed on a handheld computing device like those described above in connection with system  100  ( FIG. 1 ), system  200  ( FIG. 2 ), and system  320  ( FIG. 3 ). If a user has not “zoomed in” on image  440 , then a pan signal may be interpreted as a scroll signal by example systems and methods. The scroll signal may cause a view window  420  to be repositioned in the ordered set of images. For example, a flick left may reposition the view window  420  more towards the first image  430  while a flick right may reposition the view window  420  more towards the last image  450 . 
     Example methods may be better appreciated with reference to flow diagrams. While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the illustrated methodologies are shown and described as a series of blocks, it is to be appreciated that the methodologies are not limited by the order of the blocks, as some blocks can occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other blocks from that shown and described. Moreover, less than all the illustrated blocks may be required to implement an example methodology. Blocks may be combined or separated into multiple components. Furthermore, additional and/or alternative methodologies can employ additional, not illustrated blocks. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an example method  500  associated with zooming an image displayed on a handheld computing device using a touch wheel touch sensor control on the handheld computing device. Method  500  includes, at  510 , receiving a zoom signal. The zoom signal may be received from a first portion of a touch sensor arranged on the handheld computing device. The first portion of the touch sensor may be an outer loop disposed around an inner portion. The zoom signal may be generated in response to a rotational touch motion occurring around at least a portion of the outer loop. A “zoom signal” refers to a signal associated with indicating a desire to affect a zoom level associated with an image being displayed on the handheld computing device. 
     Method  500  includes, at  520 , selectively updating a zoom state associated with an image displayed on the handheld computing device. The zoom state is selectively updated because a zoom signal may indicate, for example, a desire to increase a zoom level when the zoom level is already at a maximum amount or a desire to decrease a zoom level when the zoom level is already at a minimum amount. The zoom state may be stored, for example, as a value in a data store, as a value in a register, as a message in a message store, and so on. 
     Method  500  may also include, at  530 , controlling the handheld computing device to update the image displayed on the handheld computing device to comport with the zoom state updated at  520 . Thus, method  500  includes receiving a rotational signal from a touch sensor, selectively updating a zoom state based on the rotational signal, and then controlling the handheld computing device to display the image in accordance with the updated zoom state. 
     In one example, the zoom signal may include both a rotational direction component and a rotational velocity component. Since the control from which the rotational signal is received may be oriented as a circle, an oval, a loop, and so on, the rotational direction may be a clockwise direction or a counter-clockwise direction. Therefore, selectively updating the zoom state at  520  may include increasing the zoom state in response to the zoom signal having a first rotational direction component and decreasing the zoom state in response to the zoom signal having a second rotational direction where the first rotational direction is opposite to the second rotational direction. For example, a clockwise signal may indicate a desire to increase the zoom level while a counter-clockwise signal may indicate a desire to decrease the zoom level. As described above, the zoom signal may also include a rotational velocity component. This component may be related to, for example, how quickly a user moved their finger around the control generating signal. Since a velocity component may be available, selectively updating the zoom state at  520  may include changing the zoom state at a rate determined by the rotational velocity component. 
     While  FIG. 5  illustrates various actions occurring in serial, it is to be appreciated that various actions illustrated in  FIG. 5  could occur substantially in parallel. By way of illustration, a first process could receive zoom signals, a second process could selectively update zoom states, and a third process could control a handheld computing device to display an image in accordance with an updated zoom state. While three processes are described, it is to be appreciated that a greater and/or lesser number of processes could be employed and that lightweight processes, regular processes, threads, and other approaches could be employed. 
     In one example, a method may be implemented as computer executable instructions. Thus, in one example, a computer-readable medium may store computer executable instructions that if executed by a machine (e.g., processor) cause the machine to perform method  500 . While executable instructions associated with method  500  are described as being stored on a computer-readable medium, it is to be appreciated that executable instructions associated with other example methods described herein may also be stored on a computer-readable medium. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a method  600  associated with zooming and panning using a touch wheel control on a handheld computing device. Method  600  includes some actions similar to those described in connection with method  500  ( FIG. 5 ). For example, method  600  includes receiving a zoom signal at  610 , updating a zoom state at  620 , and controlling a handheld computing device at  630 . However, method  600  includes additional actions. 
     For example, method  600  includes, at  640 , receiving a pan signal from the inner portion of the touch sensor. A pan signal is defined as a signal intended to indicate a desired direction for a pan action. In one example, the pan signal may be generated in response to a set of touches that produce a directional touch motion. In different examples, the series of touches may be made in the inner portion of the touch sensor, may be made on the outer portion of the touch sensor, may include a combination of touches on the inner and outer portion, and so on. In another example, the directional touch may be generated by “flicking” the touch sensor in a certain direction. The directional touch motion may indicate a direction in which a user wants to pan a viewing window associated with a displayed image. Recall that when an image has been zoomed in on that less than the entire image may be presented on a display. Therefore a user may wish to relocate the image to change which portion of the image is currently being viewed. This direction may be indicated using the touch sensor. 
     Therefore, method  600  may include, at  650 , updating a pan state associated with the image. The pan state may be selectively updated at  650  because a user may indicate a desire to pan in a direction when the image is already panned as far in that direction as it can be panned. The pan state may be updated at  650  in response to receiving the pan signal. 
     Method  600  may also include, at  660 , controlling the handheld computing device to update the image displayed on the handheld computing device to comply with the pan state. Controlling the handheld computing device may include, for example, sending a signal to the handheld computing device, invoking a method available in a process on the handheld computing device, making a call to a process available on the handheld computing device, providing a current and/or voltage to a circuit on the handheld computing device, generating an interrupt on the handheld computing device, and so on. 
     Recall that the rotational signal may have included both a direction and velocity component. The pan signal may similarly include a pan direction component and a pan velocity component. Therefore, selectively updating the pan state at  650  may include changing a center display point of the image in the direction of the pan direction component at a rate determined by the pan velocity component. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a method  700  associated with zooming and panning using a touch wheel control on a handheld computing device. Method  700  includes some actions similar to those described in connection with method  600  ( FIG. 6 ). For example, method  700  includes receiving a zoom signal at  710 , updating a zoom state at  720 , and controlling a handheld computing device at  730  to comport with the updated zoom state. Additionally, method  700  includes receiving a pan signal at  740 , updating a pan state at  780 , and controlling the handheld device at  790  to comport with the updated pan state. However, method  700  includes additional actions. 
     For example, method  700  includes discriminating between a pan signal and a scroll signal. By way of illustration, after a pan signal is received at  740 , a decision may be made, at  750 , concerning whether an image is completely zoomed out. If so; then the pan signal is to be interpreted as a scroll signal. If not, then the pan signal is to be interpreted as a pan signal. 
     Thus, upon determining at  750  that the zoom state indicates a scroll state, method  700  may proceed, at  760 , by terminating the display of a currently displayed image on the handheld computing device and then, at  770 , by initiating the display of a new image on the handheld computing device. Terminating  760  the display of a currently displayed image may include, for example, removing an image from memory, updating a pointer to a video memory location, and so on. Similarly, initiating  770  the display of the new image may include writing a image to memory, updating a pointer to a video memory location, and so on. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates an example computing device in which example systems and methods described herein, and equivalents, may operate. The example computing device may be a handheld computer  800  that includes a processor  802 , a memory  804 , and input/output ports  810  operably connected by a bus  808 . In one example, the computer  800  may include a zoom and pan logic  830  configured to facilitate receiving and processing signals from a touch wheel  832 . As described above, touch wheel  832  may be a touch sensor having an outer region arranged in a loop configuration and an inner portion. The outer region may be used to generate rotational signals associated with zooming while the inner region may be used to generate flick signals associated with panning and/or scrolling. The outer region may be configured as a loop having a physical constraint formed on an upper surface of the touch wheel and co-extensive with the loop and an inner portion arranged inside the loop. 
     In different examples, the logic  830  may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, and/or combinations thereof. While the logic  830  is illustrated as a hardware component attached to the bus  808 , it is to be appreciated that in one example, the logic  830  could be implemented in the processor  802 . 
     Logic  830  may provide means (e.g., hardware, software, firmware) for receiving a rotational zoom signal from the touch wheel  832 . The rotational zoom signal is generated in response to an interaction with the loop. The means may be implemented, for example, as an ASIC programmed to receive and process the signal. The means may also be implemented as computer executable instructions that are presented to computer  800  as data  816  that are temporarily stored in memory  804  and then executed by processor  802 . 
     Logic  830  may also provide means (e.g., hardware, software, firmware) for selectively updating a zoom state associated with an image displayed on the handheld computing device  800 . The updating may be based, at least in part, on the rotational zoom signal. Updating the zoom state may include, for example, controlling processor  802  to update a value in memory  804 . 
     Logic  830  may also provide means for receiving a pan signal from the touch wheel  832 . The pan signal may be generated in response to an interaction with the inner portion of the touch wheel  832 . Logic  830  may also provide means for selectively updating a pan state associated with the image displayed on the handheld computing device  800 . The updating may be based, at least in part, on the pan signal. Thus, the updating may include logically relocating a center point associated with a view window logically positioned over an image displayed on computer  800 . 
     Logic  830  may also include means for controlling the handheld computing device  800  to display the image in accordance with the zoom state and the pan state. Controlling the handheld computing device  800  may include, for example, providing data and instructions to processor  802  to change an image portion stored in memory  804 . 
     Generally describing an example configuration of the computer  800 , the processor  802  may be a variety of various processors including dual microprocessor and other multi-processor architectures. A memory  804  may include volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may include, for example, ROM, PROM, and so on. Volatile memory may include, for example, RAM, SRAM, DRAM, and so on. The memory  804  can store a process  814  and/or a data  816 , for example. The memory  804  can store an operating system that controls and allocates resources of the computer  800 . 
     The bus  808  may be a single internal bus interconnect architecture and/or other bus or mesh architectures. While a single bus is illustrated, it is to be appreciated that the computer  800  may communicate with various devices, logics, and peripherals using other busses (e.g., PCIE, 1394, USB, Ethernet). The bus  808  can be types including, for example, a memory bus, a memory controller, a peripheral bus, an external bus, a crossbar switch, and/or a local bus. The computer  800  may interact with input/output devices via the input/output ports  810 . 
     While example systems, methods, and so on have been illustrated by describing examples, and while the examples have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the systems, methods, and so on described herein. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific details, the representative apparatus, and illustrative examples shown and described. Thus, this application is intended to embrace alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims. 
     To the extent that the term “includes” or “including” is employed in the detailed description or the claims, it is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as that term is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. 
     To the extent that the term “or” is employed in the detailed description or claims (e.g., A or B) it is intended to mean “A or B or both”. When the applicants intend to indicate “only A or B but not both” then the term “only A or B but not both” will be employed. Thus, use of the term “or” herein is the inclusive, and not the exclusive use. See, Bryan A. Garner, A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage 624 (2d. Ed. 1995). 
     To the extent that the phrase “one or more of, A, B, and C” is employed herein, (e.g., a data store configured to store one or more of, A, B, and C) it is intended to convey the set of possibilities A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, and/or ABC (e.g., the data store may store only A, only B, only C, A&amp;B, A&amp;C, B&amp;C, and/or A&amp;B&amp;C). It is not intended to require one of A, one of B, and one of C. When the applicants intend to indicate “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C”, then the phrasing “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C” will be employed.