ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD PROVIDING A CURSOR CONTROL

• US 20070075979A1
• Filed: 06/06/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gold Charm Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lian, Wen-Chuan, Hsieh, Kuan-Hong, Li, Xiao-Guang, Wang, Han-Che
• Granted Patent: US 7,737,956 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• 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

Abstract

An electronic device and method for controlling a cursor is provided. The electronic device includes a display, a timer, and a processing unit. The display includes a screen and a frame thereof. The frame further has a touch sensitive region for generating sensing signals in response to an input operation. Each sensing signal is assigned a coordinate for identification. The timer records a time duration of continuously receiving the sensing signals. The processing unit determines a direction of the input operation according to the coordinates assigned to the sensing signals and a speed of the input operation according to the duration of the timer, and thus moves a cursor displayed on the screen corresponding to the direction and speed. A related method is also provided.

Claims

1. An electronic device enabling a cursor control, the device comprising:

a display having a screen and a frame attached to the screen, the frame comprising a touch sensitive region for generating sensing signals in response to an input operation, each sensing signal being assigned to a corresponding coordinate for identification;

a timer for recording a time duration of receiving the sensing signals; and

a processing unit for determining a direction of the input operation according to the coordinates assigned to the sensing signals and a speed of the input operation according to the duration of the timer, and moving a cursor displayed on the screen corresponding to the direction and speed.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive region further comprises a plurality of sensing units thereunder, each of which has a sensing signal processing circuit for generating the sensing signals.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the processing unit determines the speed of the input operation is in a low-speed range if the time duration is greater than a first predetermined value, and moves the cursor on the screen word by word.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein the processing unit determines the speed of the input operation is in a mid-speed range if the time duration is less than or equal to the first predetermined value and greater than or equal to a second predetermined value, and moves the cursor on the screen line by line.

5. The device according to claim 2, wherein the processing unit determines the speed of the input operation is in a high-speed range if the time duration is less than the second predetermined value, and moves the cursor on the screen page by page.

6. A method for providing a cursor control on an electronic device, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a display on the electronic device, the display having a screen and a frame attached to the screen, the frame comprising a touch sensitive region for generating sensing signals in response to an input operation, each sensing signal being assigned to a coordinate for identification;

recording a time duration of receiving the sensing signals from the touch sensitive region;

determining a direction of the input operation according to the coordinates assigned to the sensing signals and a speed of the input operation according to the duration; and

moving a cursor displayed on the screen corresponding to the direction and speed.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of determining a direction and a speed of the input operation further comprises the steps of:

determining the speed of the input operation is in a slow-speed range if the time duration is greater than a first predetermined value;

determining the speed of the input operation is in a mid-speed range if the time duration is less than or equal to the first predetermined value and greater than or equal to a second predetermined value; and

determining the speed of the input operation is in a high-speed range if the time duration is less than the second predetermined value.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of moving a cursor displayed on the screen corresponding to the direction and speed further comprises the steps of:

moving the cursor on the screen word by word if the determined speed is in the low-speed range;

moving the cursor on the screen line by line if the determined speed is in the mid-speed range; and

moving the cursor on the screen page by page if the determined speed is in the high-speed range.