Importance

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Abstract

A method for deleting objects displayed on the screen of a display assembly of a pointer based computer system is described. The method includes the steps of detecting a pointer created stroke and processing the stroke for gesture recognition. Thereafter, the processed stroke is checked to determine whether it meets the path definition requirements of a scrub gesture. In another step, a determination is made as to whether an object displayed on the screen has been selected. If an object is selected and the processed stroke meets the requirements of a scrub gesture, the selected object is deleted. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the selected object determining step includes the substep of determining whether any objects were preselected at the time the scrub gesture was made. When no suitable objects are preselected, a determination is made as to whether the scrub gesture substantially overlaps a displayed object. If a displayed object is substantially overlapped, it is selected for deletion. In another preferred embodiment, the scrub gesture determining step includes the substep of determining whether the number of times that the processed stroke changes the direction of its turn angles exceeds a predetermined number, wherein the stroke will not be considered a scrub gesture unless the predetermined number of direction changes is exceeded. In yet another preferred aspect of the invention, the stroke processing step includes the substeps of defining a multiplicity of corners in the stroke, removing selected corners that are associated with segments that are shorter than a designated length, and removing selected corners that have an associated turn angle that is less than a predetermined angle.

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First Claim