Method of controlling device using various input types and device for performing the method

• US 10,474,259 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2015
• Issued: 11/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Kang-min
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, David D
• Application Number:
  US14/942,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20160139697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,457 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- 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 without distance measurement in the Z direction
• 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 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units

Abstract

A method of controlling a device is provided. The method includes receiving a touch input and a hovering input, determining an operation corresponding to input pattern information generated according to the received touch input and the received hovering input, from among operations of an application running on the device, and performing the determined operation.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the device, a touch input on a first sensing area of the device and a hovering input on a second sensing area of the device, the second sensing area being separate from the first sensing area of the device;

determining input pattern information according to the received touch input and the received hovering input when the touch input and the hovering input are received within a preset time range; and

performing an operation corresponding to the input pattern information from among operations of an application running on the device,

wherein the first sensing area comprises first block units only for identifying the touch input and the second sensing area comprises second block units only for identifying the hovering input,

wherein the device differently sets the first block units from the second block units, based on a first range of the touch input obtained through a first user interface included in at least part of the first block units, and a second range of the hovering input obtained through a second user interface included in at least part of the second block units, and

wherein the first user interface and the second user interface are differently displayed based on the touch input and the hovering input being received simultaneously.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the input pattern information is generated based on at least one of a determination of the received touch input and the received hovering input, an input order of the received touch input and the received hovering input, and respective number of times the received touch input and the received hovering input are input,

wherein the received touch input is determined based on at least one of a location and a time of the touch input, and a means and a motion of a device for generating the touch input, and

wherein the received hovering input is determined based on at least one of a location and a time of the hovering input, and a means and a motion of a device for generating the hovering input.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sensing area for identifying the received touch input is set to be larger than the second sensing area for identifying the received hovering input.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a user interface including a first area for receiving the touch input and a second area for receiving the hovering input,

wherein the touch input and the hovering input are received through the user interface.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing guide information of a next touch input or a next hovering input, when any one of the next touch input and the next hovering input is received, to perform a preset operation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the input pattern information comprises generating the input pattern information by combining the received touch input and the received hovering input, when a difference between a time when the touch input is received and a time when the hovering input is received is less than a critical value.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a first valid input mark on a screen of the device when the touch input is received and displaying a second valid input mark on the screen of the device when the hovering input is received.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the operation comprises:

detecting an operation corresponding to the input pattern information from a database in which information on an operation of the device corresponding to a received input is pre-stored, when the application is executed in the device.

9. A device comprising:

a user input unit configured to receive a touch input on a first sensing area of the device and a hovering input on a second sensing area of the device, the second sensing area being separate from the first sensing area of the device;

a control unit configured to determine input pattern information according to the received touch input and the received hovering input when the touch input and the hovering input are received within a preset time range and perform an operation corresponding to the input pattern information, from among operations of an application being executed in the device,

wherein the first sensing area comprises first block units only for identifying the touch input and the second sensing area comprises second block units only for identifying the hovering input,

wherein the device differently sets the first block units from the second block units, based on a first range of the touch input obtained through a first user interface included in at least part of the first block units, and a second range of the hovering input obtained through a second user interface included in at least part of the second block units, and

wherein the first user interface and the second user interface are differently displayed based on the touch input and the hovering input being received simultaneously.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the input pattern information is generated based on at least one of a determination of received touch input and the received hovering input, an input order of the received touch input and the received hovering input, and respective number of times the received touch input and the received hovering input are input,

wherein the received touch input is determined based on at least one of a location and a time of the touch input, and a means and a motion of a device for generating the touch input, and

wherein the received hovering input is determined based on at least one of a location and a time of the hovering input, and a means and a motion of a device for generating the hovering input.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the first sensing area for identifying the received touch input is set to be larger than the second sensing area for identifying the received hovering input.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the user input unit is further configured to provide a user interface including a first area for receiving the touch input and a second area for receiving the hovering input and to receive the touch input and the hovering input through the user interface.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the user input unit is further configured to provide, when any one of a next touch input and a next hovering input is received, guide information about the next touch input or the next hovering input to perform a preset operation.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the control unit is further configured to generate the input pattern information by combining the received touch input and the received hovering input, when a difference between a time when the touch input is received and a time when the hovering input is received is less than a critical value.

15. The device of claim 9, further comprising an output unit configured to display a first valid input mark on a screen of the device when the touch input is received and to display a second valid input mark on the screen of the device when the hovering input is received.

16. The device of claim 9, wherein the control unit is further configured to identify an input pattern generated based on a combination of the received touch input and the received hovering input and detect an operation corresponding to the identified pattern from a database in which information on an operation of the device corresponding to a received input is pre-stored, when the application is executed in the device.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having recorded thereon a computer-readable program for performing the steps of:

receiving, by the device, a touch input on a first sensing area of the device and a hovering input on a second sensing area of the device, the second sensing area being separate from and different than the first sensing area of the device;

determining input pattern information according to the received touch input and the received hovering input when the touch input and the hovering input are received within a preset time range; and

performing an operation corresponding to the input pattern information from among operations of an application running on the device,

wherein the first sensing area is only for identifying the touch input and the second sensing area is only for identifying the hovering input, and

wherein the device differently sets block units for identifying the touch input from block units for identifying the hovering input, based on a first range defined by a first block unit of a touch input selecting a first function, and a second range defined by a second block input of a hovering input selecting a second function.