METHOD AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR ALLOWING A USER TO SELECT A MENU OPTION

• US 20090172593A1
• Filed: 05/01/2007
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Kortenoeven, Robert, Peeten, Judith Anges Josephina, Geurts, Lucas Jacobus Franciscus, Andrews, Anton Oguzhan Alford
• Application Number:
  US12/299,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20090172593A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A method of allowing a user to select a menu option, which method comprises the steps of allowing the user to select a position (21) on a screen, displaying a plurality of menu option identifiers (23, 25) near the selected position (21) on the screen, defining a plurality of selection areas (27, 29), and allowing the user to select a specific one of the selection areas (27, 29) so as to select the menu option. Each selection area (27, 29) is located around a specific one of the menu option identifiers (23, 25) and has a size proportional to a distance between the specific one of the menu option identifiers (23, 25) and the selected position (21) on the screen. The method can be performed by an electronic device, possibly enabled by a computer program product.

Claims

1. An electronic device (31) comprising electronic circuitry (33) to:

allow a user to select a position (21) on a screen;

display a plurality of menu option identifiers (23, 25) near the selected position (21) on the screen;

define a plurality of selection areas (27, 29), each selection area being located around a specific one of the menu option identifiers (23, 25) and having a size proportional to a distance between the specific one of the menu option identifiers (23, 25) and the selected position (21) on the screen; and

allow the user to select a specific one of the selection areas (27, 29) so as to select a menu option corresponding to the specific selection area.

2. An electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of selection areas forms nested contours around the selected position.

3. An electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contours are circles.

4. An electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry (33) is configured to allow the user to select the specific one of the selection areas by dragging a finger, a pen or a pointer from the selected position across the nested circles.

5. An electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the screen is a touch screen.

6. An electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry (33) is configured to determine where to display each menu option identifier in dependence on an angle of a finger or a pen.

7. An electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic circuitry (33) is configured to determine where to display each menu option identifier in dependence on a movement of a finger or a pen before the user has selected the position on the screen.

8. A method of allowing a user to select a menu option, the method comprising:

allowing (1) the user to select a position on a screen;

displaying (3) a plurality of menu option identifiers near the selected position on the screen;

defining (5) a plurality of selection areas, each selection area being located around a specific one of the menu option identifiers and having a size proportional to a distance between the specific one of the menu option identifiers and the selected position on the screen; and

allowing (7) the user to select a specific one of the selection areas so as to select the menu option, the selected menu option corresponding to the selected selection area.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plurality of selection areas forms nested contours around the selected position.

10. A computer program, embodied on a computer readable medium, for enabling a programmable device to perform the method of claim 8.