INPUT DEVICE FOR PORTABLE TERMINAL AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20100134312A1
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: PARK, Sun Young, Hong, Hyun Su, Kim, Jin Yong, Lee, Myeong Lo, Kim, Kyung Hwa, Jung, Woo Jin, Shin, Seung Woo, Oh, Jung Yeob
• Granted Patent: US 8,558,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/689
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

The present invention relates to an input device and method of a portable terminal. The present invention includes generating an input event by a first input mode, generating a second input event by a motion of the portable terminal simultaneously or consecutively with the input event, and controlling operation of an application program according to the user function of the portable terminal in consideration of the first and second input events.

Claims

1. An input method of a portable terminal, the method comprising:

generating a first input event;

generating a second input event corresponding to a motion of the portable terminal, the second input event being generated simultaneously or consecutively with the first input event; and

executing a first application program according to a user function of the portable terminal corresponding to the first input event and the second input event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a first input event comprises at least one of:

generating a touch event corresponding to a touch on a touch screen;

generating a key input event corresponding to an input on a key pad; and

generating a pressure event corresponding to pressure detected by a pressure sensor.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein generating a touch event comprises generating the touch event based on a point where the touch on the touch screen is detected.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a second input event comprises generating a motion signal corresponding to at least one of tilting, shaking, grabbing, and tapping of the portable terminal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein generating a motion signal comprises at least one of:

generating the motion signal according to a direction and angle of the tilting;

generating the motion signal according to a direction, an intensity, and a duration of a pressure of the grabbing; and

generating the motion signal according to an amplitude, a frequency, and an amplitude change corresponding to the shaking.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein executing a first application program comprises:

setting a point corresponding to a touch on the touch screen as a reference point;

determining a direction of a tilting of the portable terminal;

setting a size of a screen of the portable terminal based on the reference point and the direction of the tilting;

detecting a release of the touch on the touch screen; and

displaying the screen.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the direction of the tilting comprises a forward direction, a backward direction, a right direction, or a left direction.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein setting the size of the screen size comprises one of:

displaying a zoomed-in screen if the direction of the tilting is the forward direction;

displaying a zoomed-out screen if the direction of the tilting is the backward direction; and

outputting a zoom operation alarm or a vibration alarm.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein outputting a zoom operation alarm or a vibration alarm comprises outputting, in response to a maximum tilting of the portable terminal, the zoom operation alarm or the vibration alarm.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising at least one of:

displaying the reference point on the screen; and

removing the reference point in response to detecting the release of the touch.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a complex signal corresponding to the first input event and the second input event, and

wherein executing a first application program comprises executing the first application program according to the generated complex signal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein generating a complex signal comprises at least one of:

generating the complex signal corresponding to a touch signal associated with a touch detected at a first point on a touch screen of the portable terminal and a motion signal generated according to a direction and an angle of a tilting of the portable terminal;

generating the complex signal corresponding to a touch signal associated with a touch detected at a first point on a touch screen of the portable terminal and a motion signal generated according to a direction, an intensity, and a duration of a pressure associated with grabbing of the portable terminal; and

generating the complex signal corresponding to a touch signal associated with a touch detected at a first point on a touch screen of the portable terminal and a motion signal generated according to an amplitude, a frequency, and an amplitude change corresponding to shaking of the portable terminal.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein executing a first application program comprises at least one of:

executing a second application program based on a direction of a grabbing motion and a reference point where a touch of a user on the portable terminal is detected;

arranging first contents, other than second contents indicated by an input signal, on a display unit;

generating an input signal corresponding to a grabbing of the portable terminal;

generating a motion signal corresponding to shaking of the portable terminal; and

removing second contents from the display unit, and rearranging first contents according to a rule.

14. An input device of a portable terminal, the device comprising:

an input unit comprising at least one of;

a touch unit to set a reference point corresponding to a touch detected on a touch screen;

a pressure sensor to detect a pressure applied to the portable terminal; and

a key pad to generate a key input event according to a key input;

a sensor detection unit to detect a sensor signal generated by at least one of tilting, shaking, and grabbing of the portable terminal;

a motion recognition unit to receive a motion signal generated in the portable terminal according to the sensor signal;

a function controller to execute a first application program according to a user function corresponding to at least one of the detected touch, the detected pressure, the key input event, and the motion signal; and

a storage unit to store the first application program.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the motion recognition unit detects a first tilting motion signal having a first amplitude or a first amplitude change within a first time period, and a second tilting motion signal having a second amplitude or a second amplitude change within a second time period.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the function controller controls one of a zoom-in operation and a zoom-out operation based on the reference point according to forward, backward, right, and left tilting motions detected by the motion recognition unit.

17. The device of claim 16, further comprising at least one of:

a display unit to display the zoomed-in or zoomed-out screen in response to release of the touch on the touch screen;

an audio processing unit to output at least one of a zoom alarm indicating execution of the zoom-in or zoom-out function and an uppermost limit alarm indicating that the zoom-in or zoom-out function has reached an uppermost limit; and

a vibration module to output at least one of a vibration alarm indicating execution of the zoom-in or zoom-out function and an uppermost limit vibration alarm indicating that the zoom-in or zoom-out function has reached an uppermost limit.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the function controller:

executes the first application program based on the detected touch, the reference point and the motion signal generated according to a direction and an angle of the tilting of the portable terminal;

executes the first application program based on the detected touch, the reference point, and the motion signal generated according to a direction, intensity, and pressure duration of the grabbing of the portable terminal;

executes the first application program based on the detected touch, the reference point, and a motion signal generated according to an amplitude, frequency, and amplitude change corresponding to the shaking of the portable terminal;

or

activates and executes a second application program according to the reference point and a direction of the grabbing of the portable terminal.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein the function controller arranges first content on the display unit according to a determined rule in response to consecutive or simultaneous generation of an input signal generated by a grabbing motion of the user and a motion signal generated by shaking of the mobile terminal, the first content excluding second content identified by an input signal.

20. The device of claim 14, wherein the function controller removes a plurality of contents displayed on the display unit, or rearranges, based on a determined rule, first contents other than second contents, the second contents being indicated according to an input signal.