Invalid area specifying method for touch panel of mobile terminal

• US 10,447,845 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2018
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Makiguchi, Tomoya
• Primary Examiner(s): Shedrick, Charles T
• Application Number:
  US16/162,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20190052749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 363 Days
• Field of Search: 455566, 345173
• 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 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724631 by limiting the access to the user interface, e.g. locking a touch-screen or a keypad

Abstract

A touch-panel cellular phone specifies an invalid area not accepting a user'"'"'s input operation on a touch panel in advance. The cellular phone detects a user'"'"'s touch area on the touch panel so as to execute a function pre-assigned to the touch area not encompassed by the invalid area. Additionally, it is possible to reduce and display menu icons in the display area precluding the invalid area on the touch panel. Thus, it is possible to prevent an error operation when a user holding a cellular phone inadvertently touches the touch panel.

Claims

1. A method of specifying an invalid area on a touch panel of a mobile terminal equipped with a plurality of sensors, the method comprising:

detecting a holding operation as to whether a user holds the mobile terminal using the plurality of sensors;

detecting a touch area on the touch panel by the user;

specifying an invalid area based on a shape of the touch area in a periphery of the touch panel; and

recording the invalid area in connection with the user, thus inactivating a user'"'"'s input operation on the touch panel.

2. The method according to claim 1, which is initiated via a user'"'"'s operation to execute

an application program.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

displaying a first message to urge the user to hold the mobile terminal before detecting the holding operation; and

displaying a second message after the invalid area is specified and recorded.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the user touches the touch panel after recording the invalid area,

determining whether the user touches the invalid area of the touch panel, and

notifying the touch area which is not included in the invalid area in connection with a display area for displaying an image to accept a user'"'"'s operation.