METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING TOUCH FUNCTION IN A PORTABLE TERMINAL

• US 20110090163A1
• Filed: 10/12/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Seung-Jun
• Application Number:
  US12/902,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20110090163A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing a touch function in a portable terminal are provided. The method includes determining if an input is received during a preset time, when the input is not received during the preset time, driving a proximity sensor and determining if an object exists around the portable terminal, and maintaining ON or turning OFF a touch recognition function of a touch sensor depending on whether the object exists around the portable terminal.

Claims

1. A method for managing a touch function in a portable terminal, the method comprising:

determining if an input is received during a preset time;

when the input is not received during the preset time, driving a proximity sensor and determining if an object exists around the portable terminal; and

maintaining ON or turning OFF a touch recognition function of a touch sensor depending on whether the object exists around the portable terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the maintaining ON or the turning OFF of the touch recognition function comprises:

when the object exists around the portable terminal, turning OFF the touch recognition function; and

when the object does not exist around the portable terminal, maintaining ON the touch recognition function.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the maintaining ON or the turning OFF of the touch recognition function, entering an idle mode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the input comprises at least one of a screen touch by a user, a key press, and reception of a call from a network.

5. An apparatus for managing a touch function in a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a touch sensor for recognizing a touch;

a proximity sensor for determining if an object exists around the portable terminal; and

a controller for, when an input is not received during a preset time, driving the proximity sensor to determine if an object exists around the portable terminal, and for maintaining ON or turning OFF a touch recognition function of a touch sensor depending on whether the object exists around the portable terminal.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, when the object exists around the portable terminal, the controller turns OFF the touch recognition function and, when the object does not exist around the portable terminal, maintains ON the touch recognition function.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, after maintaining ON or turning OFF the touch recognition function, the controller enters an idle mode.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller determines if the input is received during the preset time by determining if at least one of a screen touch by a user, a key press, and reception of a call from a network is generated during the preset time.

9. A method for managing a touch function in a portable terminal, the method comprising:

determining if an input is received;

when the input is not received, determining if an object exists around the portable terminal; and

if the object exists around the portable terminal, turning OFF the touch recognition function.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising, after the turning OFF of the touch recognition function, entering an idle mode.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the input comprises at least one of a screen touch by a user, a key press, and reception of a call from a network.

10. The method of claim 10, wherein, if the object does not exist around the portable terminal, maintaining ON the touch recognition function.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising, after the maintaining ON of the touch recognition function, entering an idle mode.