Apparatus with touch screen and method for displaying information through external display device connected thereto

• US 20030025678A1
• Filed: 08/01/2002
• Published: 02/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Park, Sang-Jun, Lee, Ju-Beam
• Granted Patent: US 7,199,787 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/22 Detection of presence or absence of input display information or of connection or disconnection of a corresponding information source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/08 Cursor circuits

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus with a touch screen including a touch pad. The apparatus includes a connecter for connecting the apparatus to an external display device; a sensor for generating a sensing signal upon detecting connection between the apparatus and the external display device; a touch screen display driver for displaying data input from the touch pad on the touch screen; an external display driver for displaying data input from the touch pad on the external display device when the touch pad operates in a mouse pad mode; and a controller for upon receiving the sensing signal, disabling the touch screen display driver, enabling the external display driver, recognizing a point on the touch pad selected by a user, generating a coordinate value corresponding to the point, performing calculation for mapping the coordinate value with a screen display coordinate of the external display device, and determining a position of a pointer to be displayed on a screen of the external display device.

Claims

1. An apparatus with a touch screen including a touch pad, comprising:

a connector for connecting the apparatus to an external display device;

a sensor for generating a sensing signal upon detecting connection between the apparatus and the external display device;

a touch screen display driver for displaying data input from the touch pad on the touch screen;

an external display driver for displaying touch pad data on the external display device, when the touch pad operates in a mouse pad operation mode; and

a controller for, upon receiving the sensing signal, disabling the touch screen display driver, enabling the external display driver, recognizing a point on the touch pad selected by a user, generating a coordinate value corresponding to the point, mapping the coordinate value with a screen display coordinate of the external display device, and determining a position of a pointer to be displayed on a screen of the external display device.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch screen is part of a personal digital assistant (PDA).

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing a calculation formula for generating the coordinate value.

4. A method for displaying on a screen of an external display device information input on a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) with a touch screen, comprising:

determining whether the PDA is connected to the external display device;

mapping a first display coordinate of the external display device with a second display coordinate of the touch screen, upon detection of a connection between the PDA and the external display device; and

accessing the first display coordinate according to the second display coordinate selected by a user.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the mapping further comprises:

upon detecting the connection between the apparatus and the external display device, entering a mouse pad operation mode when it is determined that the user has selected the external display device;

performing a calculation for mapping the first display coordinate with the second display coordinate, when the user has selected the external display device; and

remaining in a touch screen operation mode when the user does not select the external display device.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

disabling displaying information on the touch pad when the user selects the external display device and enters the mouse pad operation mode.

7. The method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising

determining whether the PDA is disconnected from the external display device;

and

disabling displaying information through the external display device and switching to a touch screen operation mode to display information on the touch screen, when the PDA is disconnected from the external display device.

8. The method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

switching to a screen shift access mode in response to an access key selection when a mouse pad operation mode is selected.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

the screen of the external display device is divided into a plurality of segments; and

one or more segments are accessible by a touch pad of the touch screen, and selection of a boundary of the touch pad shifts the screen of the external display device to an adjacent segment.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

the screen of the external display device displays the segment accessible by the touch pad in an enlarged format.