PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING TOUCHSCREEN AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20100159996A1
• Filed: 12/22/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: RIDER, Douglas, KENNEY, Jeffrey, LANGLOIS, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,121,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• 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 of controlling a portable electronic device having a touch screen display includes rendering a graphical user interface including a plurality of user-selectable features on the touch screen display and, in response to detecting a touch event on the touch screen display proximal one of the user-selectable features, rendering an indicator for one of the user-selectable features corresponding to a location of the touch event prior to selection of any of the user-selectable features. The indicator is rendered intermediate ones of the user-selectable features for identifying the one of the user-selectable features absent obstruction of other ones of the user-selectable features.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a portable electronic device comprising a touch screen display, the method comprising:

rendering a graphical user interface including a plurality of user-selectable features on the touch screen display; and

in response to detecting a touch event on the touch screen display proximal one of the user-selectable features, rendering an indicator for the one of the user-selectable features corresponding to a location of the touch event prior to selection of any of the user-selectable features, the indicator rendered intermediate ones of the user-selectable features for identifying the one of the user-selectable features absent obstruction of other ones of the user-selectable features.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein rendering the indicator comprises rendering lines around which the one of the user-selectable features is centered.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein rendering lines comprises rendering lines in a grid pattern around the one of the user-selectable features.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein rendering lines comprises rendering lines in the shape of a pound sign.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein rendering the graphical user interface comprises rendering the plurality of user-selectable features on the touch screen display, each of said user-selectable features spaced from others of said user-selectable features and wherein rendering lines comprises rendering ones of the lines in a space between the user-selectable features.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user-selectable features comprise virtual buttons of a virtual keyboard.

7. The method according to claim 1, comprising selecting said one of said user-selectable features in response to receipt of an input from actuation of a switch disposed between the touch screen display and a base of the portable electronic device, the switch actuated as a result of an applied force causing movement of the touch screen display toward the base.

8. A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing;

a touch screen display connected to the housing and comprising a display and touch-sensitive overlay exposed for user-interaction therewith; and

functional components in the housing comprising a memory device and a processor operably connected to the touch screen display and the memory device for executing a program stored in the memory device to cause the portable electronic device to render a graphical user interface including a plurality of user-selectable features on the touch screen display and, in response to detecting a touch event on the touch screen display proximal one of the user-selectable features, render an indicator for one of the user-selectable features corresponding to a location of the touch event prior to selection of any of the user-selectable features, the indicator rendered intermediate ones of the user-selectable features for identifying the one of the user-selectable features absent obstruction of other ones of the user-selectable features.

9. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable code embodied therein for execution by a processor in a portable electronic device comprising a touch screen display, for rendering a graphical user interface including a plurality of user-selectable features on the touch screen display and, in response to detecting a touch event on the touch screen display proximal one of the user-selectable features, rendering an indicator for one of the user-selectable features corresponding to a location of the touch event prior to selection of any of the user-selectable features, the indicator rendered intermediate ones of the user-selectable features for identifying the one of the user-selectable features absent obstruction of other ones of the user-selectable features.