Tab Bar Control For Mobile Devices

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for providing tab bar controls on a mobile computing device are described. In one aspect, a method includes displaying a first tab graphic in a first tab bar control, the first tab bar control being displayed at a first default position on a first edge of a touchscreen display, detecting a user selection in a first region of the touchscreen display, the first region associated with the first tab graphic, detecting user motion, animating the first tab bar control to extend from the first edge of the touch-screen display in response to detecting user motion, determining a measure of user motion, comparing the measure of user motion to a threshold measure, and performing one or more functions on the mobile device in response to the measure of user motion exceeding the threshold measure.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 - 16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 displaying a first portion of a control, to the exclusion of a second portion of the control, at a first position of a graphical interface on a touchscreen display of a computing device, the control mapped to a function that the computing device is capable of performing;   identifying, while continuing to display the first portion of the control, that user input has:
 (i) contacted a first location of the touchscreen display that corresponds to the first position of the graphical interface where the first portion of the control is displayed, and 
 (ii) dragged across the touchscreen display by a non-zero distance from the first location of the touchscreen display; 
   animating the control as the user input drags across the touchscreen display, including:
 (i) showing the first portion of the control moving from the first position of the graphical interface toward a target position of the graphical interface, and 
 (ii) showing the second portion of the control sliding along a pre-defined path that extends from the fixed position of the graphical interface to the target position of the graphical interface, wherein showing the second portion of the control sliding along the pre-defined path includes gradually revealing the second portion of the control as the first portion of the control is moved toward the target position of the graphical interface and maintaining display of the second portion of the control along the entire distance from the fixed position of the graphical interface to the current position of the first portion of the control as the first portion of the control is moved toward the target position of the graphical interface; 
   determining whether the user input has caused the first portion of the control to reach the target position of the graphical interface; and   performing, by the computing device and in response to determining that the user input has caused the first portion of the control to reach the target position of the graphical interface, the function that is mapped to the control.   
     
     
         18 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 17 , wherein:
 the function that is mapped to the control is to change a mode of the computing device; and   the method further comprises, in response to determining that the user input has caused the first portion of the control to reach the target position of the graphical interface:
 (i) changing the mode of the computing device, and 
 (ii) generating feedback to a user of the computing device to indicate that the mode of the computing device is changed. 
   
     
     
         19 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 18 , wherein:
 the feedback comprises visual feedback displayed within a lockscreen of the computing device while the computing device is in a locked mode, and   in the locked mode, the computing device is configured to block access to one or more functions that the computing device is capable of performing.   
     
     
         20 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 17 , wherein the computing device is configured, in response to (i) identifying that the user input has ceased contacting the touchscreen display, and (ii) determining that the user input has not caused the first portion of the control to reach the target position of the graphical interface, to animate the control to show the first portion of the control returning to the first position of the graphical interface and the second portion of the control retracting toward the fixed position of the graphical interface. 
     
     
         21 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 17 , wherein animating the control comprises revealing a textual indicator of the function that is mapped to the control. 
     
     
         22 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 17 , further comprising displaying, as the user input drags across the touchscreen display, a marker that indicates the target position of the graphical interface, so as to provide a visual indication to a user of the computing device as to how far the first portion of the control must be moved to cause performance of the function that is mapped to the control. 
     
     
         23 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 17 , wherein the first position of the graphical interface where the first portion of the control is displayed before the user input initiates dragging is located along an edge of the touchscreen display. 
     
     
         24 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 17 , wherein the function that is mapped to the control is to perform operations for one of activating a locked state of the computing device, activating an unlocked state of the computing device, answering a telephone call, declining a telephone call, or changing a mode of a ringer. 
     
     
         25 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 displaying, while continuing to display the first portion of the control, a first portion of a second control, to the exclusion of a second portion of the second control, at a second position of the graphical interface on the touchscreen display of the computing device, the second control mapped to a second function that the computing device is capable of performing, the second function being different than the first function;   identifying, while continuing to display the first portion of the second control, that second user input has:
 (i) contacted a second location of the touchscreen display that corresponds to the second position of the graphical interface where the first portion of the second control is displayed, and 
 (ii) dragged across the touchscreen display by a second non-zero distance from the second location of the touchscreen display; 
   animating the second control as the second user input drags across the touchscreen display, including:
 (i) showing the first portion of the second control moving from the second position of the graphical interface toward a second target position of the graphical interface, and 
 (ii) showing the second portion of the control sliding out from a fixed position of the graphical interface as the first portion of the control is moved toward the target position of the graphical interface, the second portion of the control sliding along a pre-defined path from the fixed position of the graphical interface toward the target position of the graphical interface; 
   determining whether the second user input has caused the first portion of the second control to reach the second target position of the graphical interface; and   performing, by the computing device and in response to determining that the second user input has caused the first portion of the second control to reach the second target position of the graphical interface, the second function that is mapped to the second control.   
     
     
         26 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 25 , further comprising, in response to identifying that the second user input has contacted the second location of the touchscreen display at the second location on the touchscreen display that corresponds to the second position of the graphical interface where the first portion of the second control is displayed, removing the display of the first portion of the control from the graphical interface. 
     
     
         27 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 25 , wherein:
 the first portion of the control includes a first graphical element that visually indicates the function that is mapped to the control, and   the first portion of the second control includes a second graphical element that visually indicates the second function that is mapped to the second control, the second graphical element being different than the first graphical element.   
     
     
         28 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 17 , wherein the first portion of the control includes a graphical element that visually indicates the function that is mapped to the control. 
     
     
         29 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause performance of operations comprising:
 displaying a first portion of a control, to the exclusion of a second portion of the control, at a first position of a graphical interface on a touchscreen display of the computing device, the control mapped to a function that the computing device is capable of performing;   identifying, while continuing to display the first portion of the control, that user input has:
 (i) contacted a first location of the touchscreen display that corresponds to the first position of the graphical interface where the first portion of the control is displayed, and 
 (ii) dragged across the touchscreen display by a non-zero distance from the first location of the touchscreen display; 
   animating the control as the user input drags across the touchscreen display, including:
 (i) showing the first portion of the control moving from the first position of the graphical interface toward a target position of the graphical interface, and 
 (ii) showing the second portion of the control sliding along a pre-defined path that extends from the fixed position of the graphical interface to the target position of the graphical interface, wherein showing the second portion of the control sliding along the pre-defined path includes gradually revealing the second portion of the control as the first portion of the control is moved toward the target position of the graphical interface and maintaining display of the second portion of the control along the entire distance from the fixed position of the graphical interface to the current position of the first portion of the control as the first portion of the control is moved toward the target position of the graphical interface; 
   determining whether the user input has caused the first portion of the control to reach the target position of the graphical interface; and   performing, by the computing device and in response to determining that the user input has caused the first portion of the control to reach the target position of the graphical interface, the function that is mapped to the control.   
     
     
         30 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 29 , wherein:
 the function that is mapped to the control is to change a mode of the computing device; and   the operations further comprise, in response to determining that the user input has caused the first portion of the control to reach the target position of the graphical interface:
 (i) changing the mode of the computing device, and 
 (ii) generating feedback to a user of the computing device to indicate that the mode of the computing device is changed. 
   
     
     
         31 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 30 , wherein:
 the feedback comprises visual feedback displayed within a lockscreen of the computing device while the computing device is in a locked mode, and   in the locked mode, the computing device is configured to block access to one or more functions that the computing device is capable of performing.   
     
     
         32 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 29 , wherein the operations further comprise, in response to (i) identifying that the user input has ceased contacting the touchscreen display, and (ii) determining that the user input has not caused the first portion of the control to reach the target position of the graphical interface, to animate the control to show the first portion of the control returning to the first position of the graphical interface and the second portion of the control retracting toward the fixed position of the graphical interface. 
     
     
         33 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 29 , wherein animating the control comprises revealing a textual indicator of the function that is mapped to the control. 
     
     
         34 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 29 , wherein the operations further comprise displaying, as the user input drags across the touchscreen display, a marker that indicates the target position of the graphical interface, so as to provide a visual indication to a user of the computing device as to how far the first portion of the control must be moved to cause performance of the function that is mapped to the control. 
     
     
         35 - 36 . (canceled) 
     
     
         37 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of  claim 29 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 displaying, while continuing to display the first portion of the control, a first portion of a second control, to the exclusion of a second portion of the second control, at a second position of the graphical interface on the touchscreen display of the computing device, the second control mapped to a second function that the computing device is capable of performing, the second function being different than the first function;   identifying, while continuing to display the first portion of the second control, that second user input has:
 (i) contacted a second location of the touchscreen display that is mapped to the second position of the graphical interface where the first portion of the second control is displayed, and 
 (ii) dragged across the touchscreen display by a second non-zero distance from the second location of the touchscreen display; 
   animating the second control as the second user input drags across the touchscreen display, including:
 (i) showing the first portion of the second control moving from the second position of the graphical interface toward a second target position of the graphical interface, and 
 (ii) gradually revealing the second portion of the second control by showing the second portion of the second control extending from a second fixed position of the graphical interface to a current position of the first portion of the second control as the first portion of the second control is moved toward the second target position of the graphical interface, so that the second portion of the second control visually identifies a second pre-defined path from the second fixed position of the graphical interface toward the second target position; 
   determining whether the second user input has caused the first portion of the second control to reach the second target position of the graphical interface; and   performing, by the computing device and in response to determining that the second user input has caused the first portion of the second control to reach the second target position of the graphical interface, the second function that is mapped to the second control.   
     
     
         38 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 17 , further comprising displaying, on the first portion of the control, a graphical indication of a current state of the computing device,
 wherein the computing device is configured to maintain display of the graphical indication of the current state of the computing device on the first portion of the control throughout the animation of the first portion of the control moving from the first position of the graphical interface to the target position of the graphical interface, and   wherein performing the function that is mapped to the control in response to determining that the user input has caused the first portion of the control to reach the target position of the graphical interface comprises altering the current state of the computing device.   
     
     
         39 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 38 , further comprising in response to determining that the user input has caused the first portion of the control to reach the target position of the graphical interface, replacing the graphical indication that is shown on the first portion of the control with a second graphical indication of the altered current state of the computing device.