PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE, METHOD OF CONTROLLING INPUT OPERATION, AND PROGRAM FOR CONTROLLING INPUT OPERATION

• US 20090207148A1
• Filed: 04/24/2009
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sato, Makoto, Sugimoto, Kayo
• Granted Patent: US 10,860,136 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• 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

Disclosed herein is a portable electronic device including an operation surface for inputting an operating action of a user, detecting means for detecting the coordinates of a point of contact of a user'"'"'s finger with said operation surface, a memory for storing information representing a deviation between the coordinates of a point on said operation surface where the user desires the user'"'"'s finger to touch said operation surface and the detected coordinates of the point of contact, and correcting means for correcting said deviation based on the stored information.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

an operation surface divided into at least a first area and a second area, for inputting an operating action of a user through each of the first area and the second area;

detecting means for detecting when a user'"'"'s finger touches said operation surface;

setting means for setting a first hypothetical area frame disposed outside of and surrounding each of said first and second areas; and

control means for controlling said detecting means to regard said user'"'"'s finger as touching said first area when the user moves the user'"'"'s finger from said first area to said second area adjacent thereto while keeping the user'"'"'s finger in contact with said first area, as long as said detecting means is detecting that the user'"'"'s finger touches both said second area and the first hypothetical area frame around said first area.

2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a peripheral area disposed peripherally around said operation surface and lying substantially flush with said operation surface; and

a third area disposed on said operation surface adjacent to said peripheral area, said first hypothetical area frame being set outside of and surrounding said third area by said setting means;

wherein said detecting means is capable of detecting contact of said user'"'"'s finger with said peripheral area, further comprising;

means for controlling said detecting means to regard said user'"'"'s finger as touching said third area when the user moves the user'"'"'s finger from said third area to said peripheral area while keeping the user'"'"'s finger in contact with said third area, as long as said detecting means is detecting that the user'"'"'s finger touches both said peripheral area and the first hypothetical area frame around said third area.

3. The portable electronic device according to claim 2, further comprising:

means for setting a second hypothetical area frame along a border of said third area with respect to said peripheral area; and

means for controlling said detecting means to regard said user'"'"'s finger as not touching said third area when the user moves the user'"'"'s finger from said peripheral area to said third area while keeping the user'"'"'s finger in contact with said peripheral area, as long as said detecting means is detecting that the user'"'"'s finger touches both said third area and the second hypothetical area frame.

4. The portable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein said third area includes a fourth area and a fifth area adjacent to said fourth area, further comprising:

means for controlling said detecting means to regard said user'"'"'s finger as moving from said fourth area to said fifth area when the user moves the user'"'"'s finger from said fifth area to the first hypothetical area of said fifth area while keeping the user'"'"'s finger in contact with said peripheral area and the first hypothetical area of said fourth area.

5. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for measuring a time required for the user'"'"'s finger to move from said first area to said second area;

wherein said control means has means for regarding the user'"'"'s finger as not moving from said first area to said second area if the measured time is equal to or larger than a predetermined time.

6. A method of controlling an inputting action, comprising the steps of:

detecting contact of a user'"'"'s finger with an operation surface for inputting an operating action of a user, with respect to each of at least a first area and a second area of said operation surface;

setting a first hypothetical area frame disposed outside of and surrounding each of said first and second areas; and

regarding said user'"'"'s finger as touching said first area when the user moves the user'"'"'s finger from said first area to said second area adjacent thereto while keeping the user'"'"'s finger in contact with said first area, as long as it is detected that the user'"'"'s finger touches both said second area and the first hypothetical area frame around said first area.

7. A computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions thereon for controlling a portable electronic device, the computer-readable instructions when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform a process comprising:

detecting contact of a user'"'"'s finger with an operation surface for inputting an operating action of a user, with respect to each of at least a first area and a second area of said operation surface;

setting a first hypothetical area frame disposed outside of and surrounding each of said first and second areas; and

regarding said user'"'"'s finger as touching said first area when the user moves the user'"'"'s finger from said first area to said second area adjacent thereto while keeping the user'"'"'s finger in contact with said first area, as long as it is detected that the user'"'"'s finger touches both said second area and the first hypothetical area frame around said first area.