Method and apparatus for user interface adaptation

• US 10,048,860 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2006
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Young, Hoi L., Bohan, Michael, Herbst, Steven M., O'Sullivan, Conor P., Phipps, Chad A., Vargas, Elisa S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yang, Kwang-Su
• Application Number:
  US11/278,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20070236460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,513 Days
• Field of Search: 345156, 345169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A method (FIG. 1) and apparatus (205) for user interface adaptation determines (110) a handedness of a user who is operating the handheld device, and changes (115) physical aspects of at least one touch target of a user touch interface of the handheld device to adapt to the handedness of the user when the handedness of the user is different than a current handedness of user touch interface of the handheld device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by an electronic device, an indication of one or more touch inputs detected at a user touch interface;

determining, by the electronic device, that the one or more touch inputs correspond to one or more target area entry errors that are associated with an invisible area that is located substantially between a plurality of visible target areas output for display at the user touch interface;

determining, by the electronic device, and based on the one or more target area entry errors, a current handedness of a user who is operating the electronic device; and

responsive to determining the current handedness of the user, changing, by the electronic device, one or more physical aspects of at least one of the plurality of visible target areas output for display at the user touch interface to adapt to the current handedness of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the one or more physical aspects of the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas comprises:

shifting a location of at least a portion of the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas from one side of the user touch interface to another side of the user touch interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the one or more physical aspects of the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas comprises:

changing a shape of the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas to a different shape.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the one or more physical aspects of the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas comprises:

changing an orientation of the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas to a different orientation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the one or more physical aspects of the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas comprises:

providing a mirror image change to the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas, wherein the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas is mirror imaged about a vertical axis in a plane of the user touch interface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein graphics in the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas are not mirror imaged.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the current handedness of the user is selected from a group consisting of a left handedness, a right handedness, and a neutral handedness.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user touch interface comprises a touch screen.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the one or more physical aspects of the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas is further responsive to determining that the current handedness of the user is different than a previous handedness of the user.

10. An electronic device comprising:

a user touch interface; and

at least one processor programmed to;

receive an indication of one or more touch inputs detected at the user touch interface;

determine that the one or more touch inputs correspond to one or more target area entry errors that are associated with an invisible area that is located substantially between a plurality of visible target areas output for display at the user touch interface;

determine, based on the one or more target area entry errors, a current handedness of a user who is operating the electronic device; and

responsive to determining the current handedness of the user, change one or more physical aspects of at least one of the plurality of visible target areas output for display at the user touch interface to adapt to the current handedness of the user.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to change the one or more physical aspects of the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas at least by shifting a location of at least a portion of the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas from one side of the user touch interface to another side of the user touch interface.

12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to change the one or more physical aspects of the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas at least by changing a shape of the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas to a different shape.

13. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to change the one or more physical aspects of the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas at least by changing an orientation of the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas to a different orientation.

14. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to change the one or more physical aspects of the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas at least by providing a mirror image change to the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas, wherein the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas is mirror imaged about a vertical axis in a plane of the user touch interface.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein graphics in the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas are not mirror imaged.

16. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the current handedness of the user is selected from a group consisting of a left handedness, a right handedness, and a neutral handedness.

17. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to change the one or more physical aspects of the at least one of the plurality of visible target areas further in response to determining that the current handedness of the user is different than a previous handedness of the user.