METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USER INTERFACE ADAPTATION111

• US 20070236460A1
• Filed: 04/06/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Young, Hoi, Bohan, Michael, Phipps, Chad, O'Sullivan, Conor, Vargas, Elisa, Herbst, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 10,048,860 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A method (FIG. 1 ) and apparatus (205) for user interface adaptation determines (110) a handedness of a user who is operating the handheld device, and changes (115) physical aspects of at least one touch target of a user touch interface of the handheld device to adapt to the handedness of the user when the handedness of the user is different than a current handedness of user touch interface of the handheld device.

Claims

1. A method used in a handheld device, comprising:

determining a handedness of a user who is operating the handheld device; and

changing physical aspects of at least one touch target of a user touch interface of the handheld device to adapt to the handedness of the user when the handedness of the user is different than a current handedness of user touch interface of the handheld device

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining further comprises:

retrieving a stored indication of the handedness of the user.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining further comprises:

determining the handedness of the user from a command initiated by user.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining further comprises:

determining the handedness of the user from entry errors made by the user.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the entry errors are determined based on sensing a touch of an invisible target area.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining further comprises:

determining the handedness of the user from a sensed thumb position of the user.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of changing physical aspects further comprises:

changing a location of at least one target for a first handedness to a new location for a second handedness.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of changing physical aspects further comprises:

changing a shape of at least one target for a first handedness to a different shape for a second handedness.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of changing physical aspects further comprises:

changing an orientation of one target for a first handedness to a different orientation for a second handedness.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of changing physical aspects further comprises:

changing one or more of the group of physical aspects that consists of outline, orientation, size, and identification.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of changing physical aspects further comprises:

making a mirror image change to at least one target area, wherein the target area is mirror imaged about a vertical axis in the plane of the touch screen.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein graphics on at least some of the target areas are not mirror imaged.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the handedness of the user touch interface is one of left, right, neutral, and off.

14. A method used in a handheld device, comprising:

recognizing a handedness of a user who is operating the handheld device; and

changing a configuration of target areas of a touch screen of the handheld device when the handedness of the user is determined to be different than a current handedness of the touch screen of the handheld device.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein at least a portion of the target areas in the configuration are changed to be in a mirror image pattern of original positions of the target areas, wherein the mirror image is determined with reference to a vertical axis in a plane of the touch screen.

16. A handheld device, comprising:

a touch screen; and

a processing system coupled to the touch screen that presents one of at least two configurations of touch target areas in response to a determination made by the handheld device as to a handedness of a user of the handheld device.

17. The handheld device according to claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the touch target areas in two of the at least two configurations are mirror images about a vertical axis in a plane of the touch screen.

18. The handheld device according to claim 16, wherein the at least two configurations consist of three configurations:

a left optimized, a right optimized, and a neutral configuration.

19. The handheld device according to claim 16, wherein the at least two configurations consist of two configurations:

a left optimized and a right optimized configuration.