Device for handling touch input and method thereof

• US 10,168,892 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2015
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Sang Hyun, Lee, Woo Kwang
• Primary Examiner(s): Rayan, Mihir K
• Application Number:
  US14/860,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20160085405A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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

An electronic device and method in which an electronic device handles a hovering operation are provided. The electronic device includes a display including a first area at which an object is displayed and a second area adjacent to the first area, and a touch module configured to recognize a user input selecting the object and an operation in which the user input is hovering, wherein the touch module is further configured to determine that the selection of the object is maintained if the user input is hovering above a specific area. The method includes recognizing a user input selecting an object; recognizing that the hovering operation is performed above a specific area; and determining that a selection of the object is maintained, wherein a display of the electronic device comprises a first area at which the object is displayed and a second area adjacent to the first area.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a touchscreen display including a flat area and a curved area adjacent to the flat area;

a memory configured to store instructions; and

at least one processor configured to execute the stored instructions to;

control the touchscreen display to display an object on the flat area;

sense a touch input selecting the object via the touchscreen display;

sense a movement of the touch input toward the curved area;

maintain the selection of the object during the movement of the touch input;

sense a hovering of the touch input above a pre-defined area including the curved area and a portion of the flat area; and

maintain the selection of the object during the hovering of the touch input,

wherein the portion of the flat area is an area adjacent to the curved area.

2. The electronic device of claim 1,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the touchscreen display to display an indicator at a location at which the touch input hovers.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the indicator is a pointer or the selected object.

4. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the touchscreen display to display a movement of the indicator corresponding to the movement of the hovering of the touch input.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to recognize an operation in which the hovering of the touch input moves out of the pre-defined area and release the selection of the object based on the operation in which the hovering of the touch input moves out of the pre-defined area.

6. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to recognize an operation in which the hovering of the touch input moves out of a hovering-possible height above the pre-defined area and release the selection of the object based on the operation in which the hovering of the touch input moves out of the hovering-possible height.

7. The electronic device of claim 4, further comprising:

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the touchscreen display to provide a display effect on an object, overlapped with the indicator, from among objects displayed on the curved area.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the display effect on the overlapped object comprises a change in a scale of the overlapped object, a change in a color of the overlapped object, or an animation effect on the overlapped object.

9. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to recognize a re-touch input of the hovering of the touch input or a hovering click operation of the hovering of the touch input, on the pre-defined area, and

to control the touchscreen display to display the selected object at a location corresponding to the re-touch input or the hovering click operation.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the touchscreen display further comprises

an additional curved area adjacent to the flat area on a side opposite from the side of the flat area from which the curved area extends.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein if an operation in which the hovering of the touch input moves from the pre-defined area in a direction in which the curved area extends, the at least one processor is further configured to maintain the selection of the object.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the touchscreen display to display an indicator on the additional curved area, when the hovering of the touch input moves in the direction in which the curved area extends, to where the curved area ends, the indicator indicating where the object is now located in the additional curved area.

13. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the hovering of the touch input is valid within a pre-defined height from the pre-defined area.

14. A method in which an electronic device having a touchscreen display including a flat area and a curved area adjacent to the flat area handles a hovering operation, the method comprising:

displaying an object on the flat area;

sensing a touch input selecting the object via the touchscreen display;

sensing a movement of the touch input toward the curved area;

maintaining the selection of the object during the movement of the touch input;

sensing a hovering of the touch input above a pre-defined area including the curved area, and a portion of the flat area; and

maintaining the selection of the object during the hovering of the touch input,

wherein the portion of the flat area is an area adjacent to the curved area.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying an indicator at a location at which the touch input is hovering.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

displaying a movement of the indicator corresponding to the movement of the hovering of the touch input.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

providing a display effect on an object, overlapped with the indicator, from among objects displayed on the curved area.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

recognizing a re-touch input of the hovering of the touch input or a hovering click operation of the hovering of the touch input, on the pre-defined area, and

displaying the selected object at a location corresponding to the re-touch input or the hovering click operation.