USER INTERFACE FOR A MULTI-POINT TOUCH SENSITIVE DEVICE

• US 20110175839A1
• Filed: 09/17/2009
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Prabhu, Sudhir Muroor
• Application Number:
  US13/119,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20110175839A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

A user interface unit (13) to interpret signals from a multi-point touch sensitive device (3) is disclosed. The user interface unit (13) comprises a gesture unit (13a) configured to enable a user to touch at least one item of data using a finger and select the at least one item of data, hold at least two fingers in contact with the at least one selected item of data and stretch the two fingers apart to view information about the at least one selected item of data while the two fingers are held apart and in contact with the user interface unit (13) and to no longer view the information about the selected item of data in response to releasing the at least two fingers held apart in contact with the user interface unit (13). This is generally useful in devices that display content in a list and each item of the list has associated metadata.

Claims

1. A user interface unit (13) to interpret signals from a multi-point touch sensitive device (3), the user interface unit (13) comprising a gesture unit (13a) configured to

detect whether a user touches the multi-point touch sensitive device (3) at a location where a data item is displayed so as to select the data item,

detect whether the user holds at least two fingers in contact with the multi-point touch sensitive device (3) at the location where the data item is displayed, and to detect whether the user stretches the two fingers apart so as to view information about the data item while the two fingers are held apart and in contact with the multi-point touch sensitive device (3), and

detect whether the user ceases to have the two fingers held apart and in contact with the multi-point touch sensitive device (3) so as to no longer view the information about the data item.

2. The user interface unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gesture unit (13a) is configured such that the maximum allowable separation distance between the at least two fingers corresponds to the complete information available about the data item, and detecting the user stretching the at least two fingers apart in relation to the maximum allowable separation distance and holding on to the user interface unit allows viewing proportionate part of the information corresponding to the data item, the maximum allowable separation distance being determined based on the size of the user interface unit.

3. The user interface unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the gesture unit (13a) is further configured such that stretching the at least two fingers apart around 50% of the maximum allowable separation distance allows proportionate viewing of around 50% of the complete available information corresponding to the at least one selected item of data.

4. A method of providing a user interface unit to interpret signals from a multi-point touch sensitive device, the method comprising

enabling a user to touch at least one item of data using a finger and select the at least one item of data;

and

allowing the user to hold at least two fingers in contact with the at least one selected item of data and stretch the two fingers apart to view information about the at least one selected item of data while the two fingers are held apart and in contact with the user interface unit and to no longer view the information about the selected item of data in response to releasing the at least two fingers held apart in contact with the user interface unit.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the method is configured such such that the maximum allowable separation distance between the two fingers corresponds to the complete available information about the selected item of data and stretching the at least two fingers apart in relation to the maximum allowable separation distance and holding on to the user interface unit allows viewing proportionate part of the information corresponding to the at least one selected item of data, the maximum allowable separation distance being determined based on the size of the user interface unit.

6. A computer program comprising program code means for use in a user interface unit to interpret signals from a multi-point touch sensitive device, the user interface unit comprising a gesture unit, the program code means being configured to allow a programmable device to

enable a user to touch at least one item of data using a finger and select the at least one item of data, hold the at least two fingers in contact with the at least one selected item of data and stretch the two fingers apart to view information about the at least one selected item of data while the two fingers are held apart and in contact with the user interface unit and to no longer view the information about the selected item of data in response to releasing the at least two fingers held apart in contact with the user interface unit.