METHODS AND DEVICES THAT RESIZE TOUCH SELECTION ZONES WHILE SELECTED ON A TOUCH SENSITIVE DISPLAY

• US 20110083104A1
• Filed: 10/05/2009
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Minton, Wayne Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 8,381,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/815
• 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

An electronic device includes a controller circuit that is configured to display selectable indicia on a touch sensitive display device. The controller defines a default size and location of a plurality of selection zones on the display device that are each associated with different ones of the displayed selectable indicia. The controller responds to a touch signal from the display device that identifies a first touch location of a user object by increasing the size of a first one of the selection zones that includes the first touch location. The controller responds to the touch signal identifying that the user object has ceased touching the display device at a second touch location, which is within the enlarged first selection zone but outside the default sized first selection zone, by outputting a first one of the selectable indicia that is associated with the first selection zone.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a controller circuit that is configured to display selectable indicia on a touch sensitive display device, configured to define a default size and location of a plurality of selection zones on the display device that are each associated with different ones of the displayed selectable indicia, configured to respond to a touch signal from the display device that identifies a first touch location of a user object by increasing the size of a first one of the selection zones that includes the first touch location, and configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that the user object has ceased touching the display device at a second touch location, which is within the enlarged first selection zone but outside the default sized first selection zone, by outputting a first one of the selectable indicia that is associated with the first selection zone.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that the user object has ceased touching the display device by decreasing the size of the enlarged first selection zone back to the default size.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that the user object has slid from the first touch location to a third touch location, where the user object has then ceased touching the display device and where the third touch location is within a third selection zone that is outside of the first selection zone, by outputting a third one of the selectable indicia that is associated with the third selection zone and by decreasing the size of the enlarged first selection zone.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that the user object has slid from the first touch location to a third location that is outside the enlarged first selection zone by decreasing the size of the enlarged first selection zone and by increasing the size of a second one of the selection zones that includes the third location.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that the first touch location of the first selection zone is being touched by decreasing the size of a second selection zone that is adjacent to the first selection zone so that the enlarged first selection zone does not overlap the second selection zone having the decreased size.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein:

the first and second selection zones are defined by the controller circuit to have the same default size when the touch signal does not indicate that a location within either of the first and second selection zones is being touched.

7. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that the first touch location is being touched by decreasing the size of all selection zones that are immediately adjacent to the first selection zone so that the enlarged first selection zone does not overlap any of the immediately adjacent selection zones having the decreased sizes.

8. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that another touch location is being touched that is within the decreased size second selection zone by increasing the size of the second selection zone and decreasing the size of the first selection zone so that enlarged second selection zone does not overlap the first selection zone having the decreased size.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that the first touch location of the first selection zone is being touched by disabling a second selection zone that is adjacent to the first selection zone so that the enlarged first selection zone at least partially overlaps the disabled second selection zone.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that the first touch location is being touched by disabling all selection zones that are immediately adjacent to the first selection zone so that the enlarged first selection zone at least partially overlaps the disabled immediately adjacent selection zones.

11. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that another touch location is being touched that is within the disabled second selection zone by increasing the size of the second selection zone, by enabling the second selection zone, by decreasing the size of the first selection zone, and by disabling the first selection zone so that the enlarged second selection zone at least partially overlaps the disabled first selection zone having the decreased size.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to display a numeric keypad with spaced apart indicia for each of the integer numbers from 0 to 9, to associate ten selection zones each with a different one of the displayed numbers, and to respond to the touch signal identifying that the first touch location within the first selection zone that is associated with the displayed number 5 by enlarging the size of the first selection zone and by decreasing the size of an adjacent second selection zone that is associated with one of the displayed numbers 2, 4, 6, and 8.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that the user object has slid from the first touch location to the second touch location, where the user object has then ceased touching the display device, by outputting an indication of the user'"'"'s selection of the number 5.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that the user object has slid from the first touch location to a third touch location, where the user object then ceased touching the display device and where the third touch location is within a third selection zone that is outside of the first selection zone and that is associated with the displayed number 4, by outputting an indication of the user'"'"'s selection of the number 4 and by decreasing the size of the enlarged first selection zone associated with the displayed number 5.

15. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to display a qwerty alphabetic keyboard with spaced apart indicia for each letter of the keyboard, to associate selection zones each with a different one of the displayed letters, and to respond to the touch signal from the display device identifying that the user object has touched the first touch location within the first selection zone for a first one of the letters by enlarging the first selection zone and by decreasing the size of the selection zone associated with at least one of the displayed letters that is immediately adjacent to the first one of the letters, and to respond to the touch signal identifying that the user object has ceased touching the display device at the second touch location, which is within the enlarged first selection zone, by outputting the first letter.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that the user object has slid from the first touch location to the third touch location, where the user object then ceased touching the display device and where the third touch location is within the third selection zone that is outside of the first selection zone and that is associated with a second one of the letters, by outputting an indication of the user'"'"'s selection of the second letter and by decreasing the size of the enlarged first selection zone associated with the first letter.

17. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that the first touch location of the first selection zone is being touched by changing the shape of adjacent selection zones so that the enlarged first selection zone does not overlap the adjacent selection zones having the changed shape.

18. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that the first touch location of the first selection zone is being touched by moving locations of the adjacent selection zones so that the enlarged first selection zone does not overlap the relocated adjacent selection zones.

19. An electronic device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display device that is configured to generate a touch signal that identifies a touch location of a user object on a screen of the display device; and

a controller circuit that is configured to display selectable indicia on the display device, configured to define a default size and location of a plurality of selection zones on the display device that are each associated with different ones of the displayed selectable indicia, configured to respond to a touch signal from the display device that identifies a first touch location of a user object by increasing the size of a first one of the selection zones that includes the first touch location, and configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that the user object has ceased touching the display device at a second touch location, which is within the enlarged first selection zone but outside the default sized first selection zone, by outputting a first one of the selectable indicia that is associated with the first selection zone, and is further configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that the user object has slid from the first touch location to a third location that is outside the enlarged first selection zone by decreasing the size of the enlarged first selection zone and by increasing the size of a second one of the selection zones that includes the third location, and to respond to the touch signal identifying that the user object has then ceased touching the display device at the third touch location by outputting a third one of the selectable indicia that is associated with the third selection zone and by decreasing the size of the enlarged first selection zone.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein:

the controller circuit is further configured to respond to the touch signal identifying that the first touch location is being touched by decreasing the size of all selection zones that are immediately adjacent to the first selection zone so that the enlarged first selection zone does not overlap any of the immediately adjacent selection zones having the decreased sizes.