Zooming and panning content on a display screen

• US 20030043114A1
• Filed: 09/04/2001
• Published: 03/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Korhonen, Panu, Silfverberg, Miika, MacKenzie, Ian Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,075,513 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• 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 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A method and system for manipulating content displayed on a display screen is disclosed. A data processing device has two attached user input controls, such as touch pads, joysticks, and the like. One of the controls may be used for panning (i.e. scrolling up and down and/or left and right) content on the display screen, while the other control may simultaneously be used for zooming in and zooming out of content as it is displayed on the display screen. The zoom and pan increment levels may be smooth or stepped, depending on a user preference, to aid in navigation of the content displayed on the display screen.

Claims

1. A handheld device, comprising:

a housing;

a display screen;

a first user input control on the housing, wherein the first user input control detects a direction of first user input; and

a second user input control on the housing, wherein the second user input control detects a direction of second user input;

wherein, when user input is received through the first user input control, content on the display screen is panned in a direction responsive to the detected direction of the first received user input, and

wherein, when user input is received through the second user input control, content on the display screen is zoomed in or out responsive to the detected direction of the second received user input.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the display screen is located on a front of the device and the first and second user input controls are located on a back of the device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the controls comprise a touch pad.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the controls comprise a trackball.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the controls comprises a roller wheel.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the controls comprise a joystick.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the controls comprise a keypad button.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second controls are each located in a position that, when a user is holding the device with both hands on either side of the display screen, enables the user to manipulate one control with the user'"'"'s right hand and one control with the user'"'"'s left hand.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the controls are located on a same face of the device as the display screen and on approximately opposite sides of the display screen.

10. A method for manipulating content displayed on a display screen of a handheld device, comprising the steps of:

(i) when first user input is received through a first user input control capable of detecting a direction of user input, panning content on a display screen in a direction responsive to the detected direction of the first user input, and

(ii) when second user input is received through a second user input control capable of detecting a direction of user input, content on the display screen is zoomed in or out responsive to the detected direction of the second user input,

wherein first and second user input controls are located on a housing of the device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the display screen is located on a front of the device and the first and second user input controls are located on a back of the device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the controls comprise a touch pad.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the controls comprise a trackball.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the controls comprises a roller wheel.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the controls comprise a joystick.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the controls comprise a keypad button.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and second controls are each located in a position that, when a user is holding the device with both hands on either side of the display screen, enables the user to manipulate one control with the user'"'"'s right hand and one control with the user'"'"'s left hand.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the display screen is located on a front portion of the device and the first and second user input controls are located on a back potion of the device.

19. A handheld device, comprising:

a housing;

a display screen on a front portion of the housing;

a first touch pad attached to a back portion of the housing; and

a second touch pad attached to a back portion of the housing;

wherein, when first user input is received through the first touch pad, content on the display screen is panned horizontally responsive to a horizontal component of the first received user input, and content on the display screen is panned vertically responsive to a vertical component of the first received user input,

wherein, when second user input is received through the second touch pad, content on the display screen is zoomed responsive to at least one of a horizontal component and a vertical component of the received second user input.

20. A device, comprising:

a processor;

a display memory communicatively coupled to the processor;

a display element communicatively coupled to the display memory;

a zoom circuit communicatively coupled to the display memory;

a zoom touch pad communicatively coupled to the zoom circuit, wherein the zoom touch pad receives zoom input from a user and transmits the zoom input to the zoom circuit;

a pan circuit communicatively coupled to the display memory; and

a pan touch pad communicatively coupled to the pan circuit, wherein the pan touch pad receives pan input from the user and transmits the pan input to the pan circuit,

wherein the zoom circuit sends zoom information to the display memory responsive to the received zoom input, and the pan circuit sends pan information to the display memory responsive to the received pan input; and

wherein the display memory zooms content on the display element responsive to the received zoom information, and the display memory pans content on the display element responsive to the received pan information.