Electronic device

• US 10,353,567 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2014
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Hattori, Shigeto
• Primary Examiner(s): Dasgupta, Shourjo
• Application Number:
  US15/032,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20160253064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,692 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0281 for providing single handed use or left/right hand conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/656 for recording conversations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

Operability is improved when operating an electronic device with one hand. An electronic device (1) includes a touch sensor on a front surface and a touch sensor on a back surface. A controller (14) causes a cursor for selecting an icon positioned at an upper portion of a display (11) to be displayed upon detecting an operation on the touch sensor (13) on the back surface and executes processing corresponding to an icon selected by the cursor upon detecting an operation on the touch sensor (12) on the front surface. The controller (14) also executes processing related to a phone call application upon detecting an operation on the touch sensor (13) on the back surface during a phone call.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a touch sensor on a front surface and a touch sensor on a back surface; and

a controller configured to cause a cursor for selecting an icon positioned at an upper portion of a display to be displayed upon detecting an operation on the touch sensor on the back surface and configured to execute processing corresponding to an icon selected by the cursor upon detecting an operation on the touch sensor on the front surface,

wherein the controller causes the cursor for selecting the icon in a predetermined area positioned at the upper portion of the display to be displayed,

wherein, while the cursor is being displayed, the controller causes the predetermined area to display in a first state indicating the predetermined area is a selectable area,

wherein the selectable area is configured to display the cursor in response to the operation on the touch sensor on the back surface, and

wherein, while the cursor is being displayed, the controller causes an area of the display other than the predetermined area to display in a second state different from the first state and indicating the area is not the selectable area.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, in the second state, while the cursor is being displayed, the controller grays out the area of the display other than the predetermined area.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein while the cursor is being displayed, the controller does not execute the processing corresponding to the icon selected by the cursor until detecting the operation on the touch sensor on the front surface.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a pressure detector configured to detect pressure on the touch sensor on the back surface,

wherein the controller detects the operation on the touch sensor on the back surface when data based on pressure detected by the pressure detector satisfies a predetermined standard.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein determination of the selectable area is predetermined, and determination of the area of the display other than the predetermined area to display in the second state different from the first state and indicating the area is not the selectable area is predetermined.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller causes the predetermined area to include the upper portion and one side portion of the display to be displayed.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller causes the predetermined area to include the upper portion, one side portion of the display to be displayed, and a corner portion of the display to be displayed.

8. An electronic device for use by a user having an ear, wherein, during a phone call using the electronic device, the user brings the electronic device close to the ear of the user, the electronic device comprising:

a touch sensor on a front surface and a touch sensor on a back surface; and

a controller configured to execute processing related to a phone call application upon detecting an operation only on the touch sensor on the back surface during the phone call and during which the electronic device is brought close to the ear of the user.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the controller terminates the phone call upon detecting the operation on the touch sensor on the back surface during the phone call.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the controller records the phone call upon detecting the operation on the touch sensor on the back surface during the phone call.

11. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the controller raises a volume of a speaker upon detecting a first operation on the touch sensor on the back surface during the phone call and lowers the volume of the speaker upon detecting a second operation on the touch sensor on the back surface during the phone call.

12. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein, during the phone call and during which the electronic device is brought close to the ear of the user, the phone call application is adjusted by operating the back surface touch sensor, and the controller changes an attribute of the electronic device upon detecting a first operation on the back surface touch sensor and adjusts the attribute of the electronic device upon detecting a second operation on the back surface touch sensor, whereby the attribute of the electronic device is easily adjusted while preventing interruption of the phone call.

13. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein

the electronic device comprises a button,

the button is configured to be pressed while the user uses the electronic device so as to adjust the attribute of the electronic device, and

the controller is redundantly configured to adjust the attribute of the electronic device with the operation on the back surface touch sensor without a need for the user to operate the button during the phone call and during which the electronic device is brought close to the ear of the user.

14. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein a function of the phone call application is activated by operating the back surface touch sensor during the phone call, and upon detecting a predetermined operation on the back surface touch sensor during the phone call, the controller is configured to activate the function, whereby the function is easily performed while preventing interruption of the phone call.

15. An electronic device configured for improved operability when operating the electronic device with one hand, the electronic device comprising:

a touch sensor on a front surface and a touch sensor on a back surface, wherein the back surface touch sensor has a first area that is less than half a second area of the front surface touch sensor, and the back surface touch sensor is provided only on an upper portion of the electronic device; and

a controller configured to cause a cursor for selecting an icon positioned at an upper portion of a display to be displayed upon detecting an operation on the touch sensor on the back surface and configured to execute processing corresponding to an icon selected by the cursor upon detecting an operation on the touch sensor on the front surface,

wherein the controller causes the cursor for selecting the icon in a predetermined area positioned at the upper portion of the display to be displayed,

wherein, while the cursor is being displayed, the controller causes the predetermined area to display in a first state indicating the predetermined area is a selectable area,

wherein the selectable area is configured to display the cursor in response to the operation on the touch sensor on the back surface, and

wherein, while the cursor is being displayed, the controller causes an area of the display other than the predetermined area to display in a second state different from the first state and indicating the area is not the selectable area.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the upper portion of the display corresponds with a range difficult to reach with a thumb when a user operates the electronic device with one hand.

17. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein determination of the selectable area is predetermined, and determination of the area of the display other than the predetermined area to display in the second state different from the first state and indicating the area is not the selectable area is predetermined.

18. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the controller causes the predetermined area to include the upper portion and one side portion of the display to be displayed.

19. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the controller causes the predetermined area to include the upper portion, one side portion of the display to be displayed, and a corner portion of the display to be displayed.

20. An electronic device configured for improved operability when operating the electronic device with one hand, the electronic device comprising:

a touch sensor on a front surface and a touch sensor on a back surface, wherein the back surface touch sensor has a first area that is less than half a second area of the front surface touch sensor and the back surface touch sensor is provided only on an upper portion of the electronic device; and

a controller configured to execute processing related to a phone call application upon detecting an operation only on the touch sensor on the back surface during a phone call,

wherein, during the phone call and during which the electronic device is brought close to the ear of the user, the phone call application is adjusted by operating the back surface touch sensor, and the controller changes an attribute of the electronic device upon detecting a first operation on the back surface touch sensor and adjusts the attribute of the electronic device upon detecting a second operation on the back surface touch sensor, whereby the attribute of the electronic device is easily adjusted while preventing interruption of the phone call.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein, when a display of the electronic device is displaying a telephone icon for placing the phone call, then upon detecting the operation with the touch sensor on the back surface at the display position of the telephone icon, the controller executes phone call processing by launching the phone call application and opening a phone line connection with a communication interface of the electronic device after a user of the electronic device inputs a telephone number, thereby allowing the user to hold the phone call with another party once the phone line connection is established.

22. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein, upon detecting an operation at a display position of the electronic device of an end phone call icon for ending the phone call, the controller terminates the phone call, ends phone call processing, and causes a home screen or standby screen to be displayed on the display.

23. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein, in order to adjust a volume of a speaker of the electronic device during the phone call, the volume of the speaker is adjusted by operating the touch sensor on the back surface during the phone call.

24. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein during the phone call, the controller raises the volume of the speaker upon detecting a first operation on the touch sensor on the back surface, and lowers the volume of the speaker upon detecting a second operation on the touch sensor on the back surface.

25. The electronic device of claim 24, wherein the first operation is a slide upwards from below, and the second operation is a slide downwards from above.

26. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein, upon detecting a predetermined operation on the touch sensor on the back surface during the phone call, the controller records the phone call.

27. The electronic device of claim 26, wherein the predetermined operation is a double tap.

28. An electronic device configured for improved operability when operating the electronic device with one hand, the electronic device comprising:

a touch sensor on a front surface and a touch sensor on a back surface, wherein the back surface touch sensor has a first area that is less than half a second area of the front surface touch sensor and the back surface touch sensor is provided only on an upper portion of the electronic device; and

a controller configured to execute processing related to a phone call application upon detecting an operation only on the touch sensor on the back surface during a phone call, wherein

the electronic device comprises a button,

the button is configured to be pressed while the user uses the electronic device so as to adjust the attribute of the electronic device, and

the controller is redundantly configured to adjust the attribute of the electronic device with the operation on the back surface touch sensor without a need for the user to operate the button during the phone call and during which the electronic device is brought close to the ear of the user.

29. An electronic device configured for improved operability when operating the electronic device with one hand, the electronic device comprising:

a touch sensor on a front surface and a touch sensor on a back surface, wherein the back surface touch sensor has a first area that is less than half a second area of the front surface touch sensor and the back surface touch sensor is provided only on an upper portion of the electronic device; and

a controller configured to execute processing related to a phone call application upon detecting an operation only on the touch sensor on the back surface during a phone call, wherein a function of the phone call application is activated by operating the back surface touch sensor during the phone call, and upon detecting a predetermined operation on the back surface touch sensor during the phone call, the controller is configured to activate the function, whereby the function is easily performed while preventing interruption of the phone call.