Control of an electronic device using a gesture as an input

• US 20060267951A1
• Filed: 05/24/2005
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Rainisto, Roope
• Granted Patent: US 7,932,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method of controlling an electronic device using a gesture as an input, including: recording a gesture and detecting, within the gesture, each one of a sequence of partial gestures that form the gesture; and performing the same first command on detecting each partial gesture.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an electronic device using a gesture as an input, comprising:

recording a gesture and detecting, within the gesture, each one of a sequence of partial gestures that form the gesture; and

performing the same first command on detecting each partial gesture.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each partial gesture is detected in real-time and the command is performed immediately in real-time.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gesture comprises repetition of a first partial gesture.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the gesture comprises the interleaving of a first partial gesture and a second partial gesture.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second partial gesture is the reverse of the first partial gesture.

6. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first partial gesture involves an acceleration component in a first direction, followed by a deceleration component in the first direction and the second partial gesture involves an acceleration component in a second direction, opposite to first direction, followed by a deceleration component in the second direction.

7. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first partial gesture involves drawing a line from right to left and the second partial gesture involves drawing a line from left to right.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a) detecting a potential waypoint separating partial gestures;

b) testing to confirm that the potential waypoint is a waypoint separating partial gestures; and

c) if the test is positive, performing the first command; and

repeating step a), b) and c) until the gesture ends.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein a moving point defines the gesture and step a) comprises measuring when the magnitude of displacement of the point over a time period falls below a threshold.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein a moving point defines the gesture and step b) comprises testing whether a change in a magnitude of displacement, in a first direction, of the point since a last waypoint exceeds a change in the magnitude of displacement, in a third direction, of the point since the last waypoint by a margin, wherein the first and third directions are orthogonal.

11. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein a moving point defines the gesture and step b) comprises testing whether a magnitude of displacement, in a first direction, of the point since a last waypoint exceeds a threshold.

12. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein a moving point defines the gesture and step b) comprises testing whether a net displacement of the point in a first direction between the last waypoint and the potential waypoint is in an opposite sense to the net displacement of the point in the first direction between the waypoint preceding the last waypoint and the last waypoint.

13. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the point is where a stylus contacts a touch sensitive screen.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the contact between the stylus and screen is maintained throughout the gesture and the gesture ends by lifting the stylus from the touch sensitive screen.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the same command deletes a character in a string of displayed characters.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the same command performs a scroll function.

17. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the same command performs a forward/back function.

18. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

i) determining whether the recorded gesture corresponds to a predetermined gesture input

ii) if the recorded gesture corresponds to the predetermined gesture input undoing the sequence of first commands performed as a consequence of the gesture

iii) performing a second command associated with the predetermined gesture input.

30. A storage device embodying a computer program comprising program instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of claim 1.

19. An electronic device that is controllable by gesture comprising:

a gesture input device for detecting a gesture;

a memory for recording at least portions of the detected gesture;

a detector for detecting, within the gesture, each one of a sequence of partial gestures that form the gesture; and

a controller for performing the same first command on detecting each partial gesture.

20. An electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the detector and controller operate in real-time so that the first command is performed immediately after the occurrence of a partial gesture.

21. An electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the detector is operable to detect potential waypoints separating partial gestures and operable to test whether potential waypoints are waypoints separating partial gestures;

and the controller is operable, if a test is positive, to perform the first command.

22. An electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the detector is operable to detect a moving point, to measure the magnitude of displacement of the moving point over time and to detect when the measured magnitude of displacement of the point over a time period falls below a threshold.

23. An electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the detector is operable to detect a moving point, to measure the magnitude of displacement of the moving point over time and to test whether a change in a magnitude of displacement, in a first direction, of the point since a last waypoint exceeds a change in the magnitude of displacement, in a third direction, of the point since the last waypoint by a margin, wherein the first and third directions are orthogonal.

24. An electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the detector is operable to detect a moving point, to measure the magnitude of displacement of the moving point over time and to test whether a magnitude of displacement, in a first direction, of the point since a last waypoint exceeds a threshold.

25. An electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the detector is operable to detect a moving point, to measure the magnitude of displacement of the moving point over time and to test whether a net displacement of the point in a first direction between the last waypoint and the potential waypoint is in an opposite sense to the net displacement of the point in the first direction between the waypoint preceding the last waypoint and the last waypoint.

26. An electronic device as claimed in claim 22, comprising a separable stylus, wherein the gesture input device is a touch sensitive screen and the point is where the stylus contacts the touch sensitive screen.

27. An electronic device as claimed in claim 19, further comprising a display for displaying a string of characters, wherein each first command deletes the last character in a string of displayed characters.

28. An electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the controller is operable to determine whether the recorded gesture corresponds to a predetermined gesture input, to undo the sequence of first commands performed as a consequence of the gesture, if the recorded gesture corresponds to the predetermined gesture input, and to perform a second command associated with the predetermined gesture input.

29. An electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the detector and controller are provided by a programmed processor.

31. A storage device embodying a computer program comprising program instructions which when loaded into a processor provide for means for detecting each one of a sequence of partial gestures that form the gesture;

and means for performing the same first command on detecting each partial gesture.