HANDHELD ELECTRONIC DEVICE HAVING A TOUCHSCREEN AND A METHOD OF USING A TOUCHSCREEN OF A HANDHELD ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20100188371A1
• Filed: 01/27/2009
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Ma, ZhongMing, Tong, Kuo-Feng, Lowles, Robert J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,279,184 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/178
• 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

A handheld electronic device having a touchscreen and a method of using a touchscreen of a handheld electronic device are provided. In accordance with one embodiment, there is provided a method of input using a touchscreen display of a handheld electronic device, comprising: displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) on the touchscreen display, the graphical user interface comprising a plurality of selectable user interface elements, each having an area of the touchscreen display associated herewith and each generating a respective input signal in response to selection thereof; detecting a touch input on the touchscreen display having a touch point; determining an orientation of the handheld electronic device; determining a touch offset in accordance with the orientation of the handheld electronic device; determining an adjusted touch point on the touch-sensitive input surface in accordance with the touch point and the touch offset; and generating an input signal associated with a respective user interface element displayed at the adjusted touch point when the adjusted touch point is associated with one of the plurality of selectable user interface elements in the graphical user interface

Claims

1. A method of input using a touchscreen display of a handheld electronic device, the method comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) on the touchscreen display, the graphical user interface comprising a plurality of selectable user interface elements, each having an area of the touchscreen display associated herewith and each generating a respective input signal in response to selection thereof;

detecting a touch input on the touchscreen display having a touch point;

determining an orientation of the handheld electronic device;

determining a touch offset in accordance with the orientation of the handheld electronic device;

determining an adjusted touch point on the touch-sensitive input surface in accordance with the touch point and the touch offset; and

generating an input signal associated with a respective user interface element displayed at the adjusted touch point when the adjusted touch point is associated with one of the plurality of selectable user interface elements in the graphical user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the touch offset comprises:

determining a screen orientation of the GUI; and

selecting a touch offset which adjusts the touch point in a direction opposite to a top of the GUI in the determined screen orientation.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the touch point is subject to adjustment;

determining the adjusted touch point only when the touch point is subject to adjustment; and

wherein the input signal which is generated is associated with the respective user interface element displayed at the adjusted touch point when the touch point is subject to adjustment, and wherein the input signal which is generated is associated with the respective user interface element displayed at an unadjusted touch point when the touch point is not subject to adjustment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the touch point is subject to touch point adjustment comprises:

identifying a user interface element associated with the touch point;

determining a size of the user interface element; and

comparing the size of the user interface element to a predetermined size threshold;

the touch point being determined not to be subject to touch point adjustment if the size of the user interface element is greater than or equal to predetermined size threshold, the touch point being determined not to be subject to touch point adjustment when the size of the user interface element is less than the predetermined size threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined size threshold is 10 mm.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the touch point is subject to touch point adjustment comprises:

determining an active application, operational mode of the device or current user interface screen of the GUI;

determining whether the an active application, operational mode of the device or current user interface screen of the GUI matches one or more rules for performing touch point adjustment; and

performing touch point adjustment when the active application, operational mode of the device or current user interface screen of the GUI matches a rule for performing touch point adjustment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a touch offset comprises:

determining whether the determined device orientation matches one of four reference positions associated with the orientation of the handheld electronic device;

selecting the touch offset associated with one of the reference positions which is nearest to the determined device orientation when determined device orientation matches one of four reference positions associated with the orientation of the handheld electronic device; and

selecting a previous touch offset stored in memory of the device when determined device orientation does not match one of four reference positions associated with the orientation of the handheld electronic device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising selecting a default touch offset when determined device orientation does not match one of four reference positions associated with the orientation of the handheld electronic device and a previous touch offset stored in memory of the device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the four reference positions comprise a top up device orientation in which a top of the device is oriented generally upwards, a bottom up device orientation in which a bottom of the device is oriented generally upwards, a left up device orientation in which a left side of the device is oriented generally upwards, and a right up device orientation in which a right side of the device is oriented generally upwards.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determined device orientation does not match one of four reference positions associated with the orientation of the handheld electronic device when the device is in a front up device orientation in which a front face of the device is oriented generally upwards or a back up device orientation in which a back of the device is oriented generally upwards.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the viewing area of the touchscreen display is mapped using Cartesian coordinates defined by x and y-axes extending in the input plane of the touchscreen display, the touch point being defined in terms of an (x, y) value, the adjusted touch point being calculated by subtracting the touch offset from the touch point;

wherein top up device orientation is associated with a touch offset having a value of (0, y), the bottom up device orientation is associated with a touch offset having a value of (0, −

y), the left up device orientation is associated with a touch offset having a value of (x,

     0), and a right up device orientation is associated with a touch offset having a value of (−

x,

     0).

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the touch point is a centroid of an activated area of the touchscreen display.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the determined touch offset in a memory of the device.

14. A handheld electronic device, comprising:

a controller for controlling the operation of the device;

a touchscreen display connected to the controller; and

a position detection subsystem comprising a positional sensor connected to the controller which generates positional signals;

the controller being configured to;

(i) display a graphical user interface (GUI) on the touchscreen display, the graphical user interface comprising a plurality of selectable user interface elements, each having an area of the touchscreen display associated herewith and each generating a respective input signal in response to selection thereof;

(ii) detect a touch input on the touchscreen display having a touch point;

(iii) determine an orientation of the handheld electronic device;

(iv) determine a touch offset in accordance with the orientation of the handheld electronic device;

(v) determine an adjusted touch point on the touch-sensitive input surface in accordance with the touch point and the touch offset; and

(vi) generate an input signal associated with a respective user interface element displayed at the adjusted touch point when the adjusted touch point is associated with one of the plurality of selectable user interface elements in the graphical user interface.

15. The handheld electronic device of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine whether the determined device orientation matches one of four reference positions associated with the orientation of the handheld electronic device;

select the touch offset associated with one of the reference positions which is nearest to the determined device orientation when determined device orientation matches one of four reference positions associated with the orientation of the handheld electronic device; and

select a previous touch offset stored in memory of the device when determined device orientation does not match one of four reference positions associated with the orientation of the handheld electronic device.

16. The handheld electronic device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to select a default touch offset when determined device orientation does not match one of four reference positions associated with the orientation of the handheld electronic device and a previous touch offset stored in memory of the device.

17. The handheld electronic device of claim 14, wherein the four reference positions comprise a top up device orientation in which a top of the device is oriented generally upwards, a bottom up device orientation in which a bottom of the device is oriented generally upwards, a left up device orientation in which a left side of the device is oriented generally upwards, and a right up device orientation in which a right side of the device is oriented generally upwards.

18. The handheld electronic device of claim 17, wherein the determined device orientation does not match one of four reference positions associated with the orientation of the handheld electronic device when the device is in a front up device orientation in which a front face of the device is oriented generally upwards or a back up device orientation in which a back of the device is oriented generally upwards.

19. The handheld electronic device of claim 17, wherein the viewing area of the touchscreen display is mapped using Cartesian coordinates defined by x and y-axes extending in the input plane of the touchscreen display, the touch point being defined in terms of an (x, y) value, the adjusted touch point being calculated by subtracting the touch offset from the touch point;

wherein top up device orientation is associated with a touch offset having a value of (0, y), the bottom up device orientation is associated with a touch offset having a value of (0, −

y), the left up device orientation is associated with a touch offset having a value of (x,

     0), and a right up device orientation is associated with a touch offset having a value of (−

x,

     0).

20. The handheld electronic device of claim 19, wherein the touch point is a centroid of an activated area of the touchscreen display.