PORTABLE COMMUNICATION DEVICE HAVING A TOUCH-SENSITIVE INPUT DEVICE WITH NON-LINEAR ACTIVE AREAS

• US 20100123658A1
• Filed: 11/17/2008
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Caudle, Stephen, Shay, Kevin M., Futter, Paul, Demuynck, Randolph C.
• Application Number:
  US12/272,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20100123658A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation methods for entering alphabetical characters per se G06F3/0237

Abstract

A portable communication device includes a touch-sensitive input device that is configured to include a substantially V-shaped active area. The portable communication device is configured to facilitate character selection and navigation by sensing the user'"'"'s thumb position on and movement along the substantially V-shaped active area. The portable communication device is configured to provide keypad functionality via the touch-sensitive input device without a graphical representation of character keys and/or navigation keys represented on the touch-sensitive input device.

Claims

1. A portable communication device comprising:

a housing;

a display disposed within the housing; and

a touch-sensitive input device disposed within the housing, wherein the touch-sensitive input device is configured to include a substantially V-shaped active area.

2. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the portable communication device is configured to receive character entry by way of sensing a user'"'"'s thumb position on and movement along the substantially V-shaped active area.

3. The portable communication device of claim 2, wherein the portable communication device is configured to receive navigational input by way of sensing a user'"'"'s thumb position on and movement along the substantially V-shaped active area.

4. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the portable communication device is configured to provide keypad functionality via the touch-sensitive input device without a graphical representation of character keys and/or navigation keys on the touch-sensitive input device.

5. The portable communication device of claim 4, wherein the touch-sensitive input device is the sole text input device for the portable communication device.

6. The portable communication device of claim 5, wherein the touch-sensitive input device is the sole navigational input device for the portable communication device

7. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the portable communication device is configured to provide navigation along three directions by way of sensing user input via the substantially V-shaped active area.

8. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the touch-sensitive input device comprises a pair of arcuate sensor areas that cooperate to define the substantially v-shaped active area.

9. The portable communication device of claim 8, wherein the pair of arcuate sensor areas is comprised of force-sensitive resistive sensors.

10. The portable communication device of claim 8, wherein the pair of arcuate sensor areas is comprised of capacitive sensors.

11. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the touch-sensitive input device is configured to provide navigation along three directions by way of sensing user contact along the substantially V-shaped active area.

12. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the housing includes a top portion and a base portion, with the display disposed within the top portion and the touch-sensitive input device disposed within the base portion, wherein the top portion and the base portion are coupled by a sliding hinge assembly configured to provide sliding motion between the top portion and the base portion and rotation of the top portion relative to the base portion

13. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the portable communication device is a mobile telephone.

14. A portable communication device comprising:

a touch-sensitive input device having a length dimension and a width dimension, the touch-sensitive input device including an active area configured to receive user input along directions at an angle to the length dimension and the width dimension.

15. The portable communication device of claim 14, wherein the touch-sensitive input device includes a plurality of active areas configured to receive user input along directions parallel to and at an angle to the length dimension and the width dimension.

16. The portable communication device of claim 14, wherein the touch-sensitive input device is disposed within a housing, wherein the touch-sensitive input device is positioned, sized and configured to be held by a user with both hands, and the active area is positioned and sized to substantially match a path followed by a user'"'"'s thumbs when the user'"'"'s thumbs are moved over the touch-sensitive input device while holding the portable communication device.

17. The portable communication device of claim 14, wherein the touch-sensitive input device is configured to include a substantially V-shaped active area.

18. A universal input device configured for use with a portable communication device, wherein the universal input device comprises:

a touch-sensitive input device configured to include a substantially V-shaped active area.

19. The universal input device of claim 18, wherein the active area includes a force sensitive resistor disposed in a substantially V-shaped configuration

20. The universal input device of claim 18, in combination with a display and a graphical user interface displayed on the display, wherein the graphical user interface cooperates with the touch-sensitive input device such that character input is achieved by using the touch-sensitive input device to select characters displayed on the display.