TOUCH-SENSITIVE DISPLAY METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20110115716A1
• Filed: 11/13/2009
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: FRITZLEY, Eric, JAIN, Rohit Rocky, LOGAN, Adrian Michael, HARDY, Michael Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,350,818 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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 includes detecting a continuous touch on a touch-sensitive display. A position of one or more boundaries is updated when the continuous touch crosses a first boundary of the one or more boundaries. Feedback is provided when the continuous touch crosses the first boundary.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a continuous touch on a touch-sensitive display;

updating a position of one or more boundaries when the continuous touch crosses a first boundary of the one or more boundaries;

providing feedback when the continuous touch crosses the first boundary.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing feedback comprises changing information displayed on the touch-sensitive display.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a first distance between a first pair of the one or more boundaries is increased and a second distance between a second pair of the one or more boundaries is decreased.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising when the continuous touch crosses a second boundary of the one or more boundaries, reducing the first distance between the first pair of the one or more boundaries and increasing the second distance between the second pair of the one or more boundaries.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating is based at least in part on a location of the continuous touch.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing at least one of visual feedback, audible feedback, or tactile feedback when the continuous touch crosses one of the one or more boundaries.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of at least one of visual feedback, audible feedback, or tactile feedback is based at least in part on a location of the continuous touch.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the visual feedback comprises providing an indication of an area between one or more of the one or more boundaries and the indication is one of shading or highlighting.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the one or more boundaries on the touch-sensitive display.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a distance between a pair of the one or more boundaries is increased.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a distance between a pair of the one or more boundaries is decreased.

12. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable code executable by at least one processor to perform the method of claim 1.

20. The portable electronic device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to display the one or more boundaries on the touch-sensitive display.

13. A portable electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

one or more processors configured to;

detect a continuous touch;

update a position of one or more boundaries when the continuous touch crosses a first boundary of the one or more boundaries;

provide feedback when the continuous touch crosses the first boundary.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 13, wherein to provide the feedback, the one or more processors are configured to change information displayed on the touch-sensitive display.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 13, wherein a first distance between a first pair of the one or more boundaries is increased and a second distance between a second pair of the one or more boundaries is decreased.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, when the continuous touch crosses a second boundary of the one or more boundaries, reduce the first distance between the first pair of the one or more boundaries and increase the second distance between the second pair of the one or more boundaries.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 13 wherein the update is based at least in part on a location of the continuous touch.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide at least one of visual feedback, audible feedback, or tactile feedback when the continuous touch crossed one of the one or more boundaries

19. The portable electronic device of claim 18, wherein the visual feedback comprises displaying the boundaries on the touch-sensitive display, the audible feedback comprises a beep, and the tactile feedback comprises a vibration of the apparatus.