Information input/output apparatus, information input/output control method, and computer product

• US 20020145595A1
• Filed: 03/25/2002
• Published: 10/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Satoh, Mitsuru
• Granted Patent: US 6,943,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0423 using sweeping light beams, e.g. using rotating or vibrating mirror
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Comprises a panel, and a coordinate control section that detects a point touched on the panel and generates a signal according to the detected point. The coordinate control section generates a coordinate signal that shows coordinates of a touched point, when one point touch on the panel has been detected. When simultaneous touches of two or more points on the panel have been detected, the coordinate control section generates a control signal that shows a control set in advance corresponding to the number of touched points.

Claims

1. An information input/output apparatus comprising:

a touch panel;

a touch point detecting unit which detects a point touched on the touch panel; and

a signal generating unit which generates a signal according to a point detected by the touch point detecting unit, wherein

when the touch point detecting unit has detected that one point has been touched on the touch panel within a predetermined period of time, the signal generating unit generates a coordinate signal that shows coordinates of the touched point, and when the touch point detecting unit has detected that two or more points have been touched on the touch panel within a predetermined period of time, the signal generating unit generates a control signal that shows a control set in advance corresponding to the number of touched points.

2. The information input/output apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a distance calculating unit which calculates a distance as a length that reflects a distance between touch points based on a detection result, when the touch point detecting unit has detected touches of two or more points on the touch panel, wherein

when a distance calculated by the distance calculating unit is equal to or larger than a predetermined length, the signal generating unit does not generate the control signal.

3. The information input/output apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the distance calculating unit calculates a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of x coordinates and a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of y coordinates as distances respectively among all points that have a possibility of being touched, based on a result of the detection by the touch point detecting unit, and the control signal generating unit does not generate the control signal when at least one of the difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of the x coordinates and the difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of the y coordinates is equal to or lager than a predetermined value.

4. The information input/output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when the control signal is output to a computer that has a display screen, at least one of the control signals makes the computer display a tool bar on the display screen.

5. The information input/output apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a touch candidate point obtaining unit which obtains a possibility that two or more points have been touched on the touch panel within a predetermined period of time, wherein

the control signal makes the tool bar displayed in an area on the display screen corresponding to an area encircled by straight lines that pass through the touch candidate points.

6. The information input/output apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the control signal makes the tool bar displayed on a plurality of touch detection points that are determined by using an average value of a maximum value and a minimum value of x coordinates among the touch candidate points as an x coordinate and using an average value of a maximum value and a minimum value of y coordinates among the touch candidate points as a y coordinate, or on points on the display screen corresponding to points that are within a predetermined distance from the plurality of touch detection points.

7. An information input/output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control signal is a signal that makes a computer control corresponded to at least one of two touch points to ten touch points.

8. An information input/output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the signal generating unit generates the control signal only when the touch point detecting unit has detected that two or more points have been touched within a pre-set area on the touch panel within a predetermined period of time.

9. An information input/output apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when the touch point detecting unit has detected that two or more points have been touched on the touch panel within a predetermined period of time, the touch point detecting unit does not detect touches on the touch panel until when detaches from all the detected points have been detected.

10. An information input/output control method comprising:

a touch point detecting step of detecting a point touched on a touch panel; and

a signal generating step of generating a coordinate signal that shows coordinates of a touched point when it has been detected at the touch point detecting step of one point being touched on the touch panel within a predetermined period of time, and of generating a control signal that shows a control set in advance corresponding to a number of touched points when it has been detected at the touch point detecting step of two or more points being touched on the touch panel within a predetermined period of time.

11. The information input/output control method according to claim 10, further comprising:

a distance calculating step of calculating a distance as a length that reflects a distance between touch points based on a detection result, when touches of two or more points on the touch panel has been detected at the touch point detecting step, wherein

when a distance calculated by the distance calculating step is equal to or larger than a predetermined length, the signal generating step does not generate the control signal.

12. The information input/output control method according to claim 11, wherein

the distance calculating step calculates a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of x coordinates and a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of y coordinates as distances respectively among all points that have a possibility of being touched, based on a result of the detection at the touch point detecting step, and the control signal generating step does not generate the control signal when at least one of the difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of the x coordinates and the difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of the y coordinates is equal to or lager than a predetermined value.

13. The information input/output control method according to claim 10, wherein

when the control signal is output to a computer that has a display screen, at least one of the control signals makes the computer display a tool bar on the display screen.

14. The information input/output control method according to claim 13, further comprising:

a touch candidate point obtaining step of obtaining a possibility that two or more points have been touched on the touch panel within a predetermined period of time, wherein

the control signal makes the tool bar displayed in an area on the display screen corresponding to an area encircled by straight lines that pass through the touch candidate points.

15. The information input/output control method according to claim 13, wherein

the control signal makes the tool bar displayed on a plurality of touch detection points that are determined by using an average value of a maximum value and a minimum value of x coordinates among the touch candidate points as an x coordinate and using an average value of a maximum value and a minimum value of y coordinates among the touch candidate points as a y coordinate, or on points on the display screen corresponding to points that are within a predetermined distance from the plurality of touch detection points.

16. An information input/output control method according to claim 10, wherein

the control signal is a signal that makes a computer control corresponded to at least one of two touch points to ten touch points.

17. An information input/output control method according to claim 10, wherein

the signal generating step generates the control signal only when the touch point detecting step has detected that two or more points have been touched within a pre-set area on the touch panel within a predetermined period of time.

18. An information input/output control method according to claim 10, wherein

when the touch point detecting step has detected that two or more points have been touched on the touch panel within a predetermined period of time, the touch point detecting step does not detect touches on the touch panel until when detaches from all the detected points have been detected.

19. A computer-readable recording medium recorded with a program for making a computer execute an information input/output control method, wherein the computer-readable recording medium is recorded with a program for making a computer execute an information input/output control method comprising:

a touch point detecting step of detecting a point touched on a predetermined area set in advance; and

a signal generating step of generating a coordinate signal that shows coordinates of a touched point when it has been detected at the touch point detecting step that one point has been touched on the predetermined area within a predetermined period of time, and of generating a control signal showing a control according to a computer set in advance corresponding to a number of touched points when it has been detected at the touch point detecting step that two or more points have been touched on the predetermined area within a predetermined period of time.

20. A program for making a computer execute an information input/output control method comprising:

a touch point detecting step of detecting a point touched on a touch panel; and

a signal generating step of generating a coordinate signal that shows coordinates of a touched point when it has been detected at the touch point detecting step that one point has been touched on the touch panel within a predetermined period of time, and of generating a control signal showing a control according to a computer set in advance corresponding to a number of touched points when it has been detected at the touch point detecting step that two or more points have been touched on the touch panel within a predetermined period of time.