PORTABLE TERMINAL AND INPUT CONTROL METHOD

• US 20110193727A1
• Filed: 04/21/2011
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FCNT LLC
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Hosoi, Makoto, Ito, Hidekazu, Takamatsuya, Yoshihiro, Goto, Masayuki, Yamada, Shigefumi
• Granted Patent: US 9,000,956 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/20
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0338 Fingerprint track pad, i.e. fingerprint sensor used as pointing device tracking the fingertip image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/107 Static hand or arm

Abstract

A portable terminal includes a finger sensor that recognizes, in response to contact of a finger, the contact and a movement of the finger; and a conversion unit that converts the movement of the finger recognized by the finger sensor into an input event corresponding to an operation instruction to an application running on the portable terminal. If a period of time from recognition of release of the finger from the finger sensor to recognition of placement of the finger on the finger sensor is less than a predetermined amount of time corresponding to physical limitations of a human, the conversion unit does not convert to the input event the recognition of placement of the finger, and recognition of a movement of the finger until recognition of release of the finger after the recognition of placement of the finger.

Claims

1. A portable terminal comprising:

a finger sensor that recognizes, in response to contact of a finger, the contact and a movement of the finger; and

a conversion unit that converts the movement of the finger recognized by the finger sensor into an input event corresponding to an operation instruction to an application running on the portable terminal, wherein

if a period of time from recognition of release of the finger from the finger sensor to recognition of placement of the finger on the finger sensor is less than a predetermined amount of time corresponding to physical limitations of a human, the conversion unit does not convert to the input event the recognition of placement of the finger, and recognition of a movement of the finger until recognition of release of the finger after the recognition of placement of the finger.

2. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein even when the finger sensor has recognized a movement of a finger indicating that the finger has been placed on the finger sensor, the conversion unit does not convert the movement of the finger into the input event until a predetermined amount of time elapses since the recognition of placement of the finger on the finger sensor.

3. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein when a difference in an amount of movement of a finger recognized by the finger sensor is greater than a predetermined value, the conversion unit discontinues a process of converting the movement of the finger recognized by the finger sensor into the input event.

4. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein when the finger sensor has recognized an inversion of a moving direction of a finger a plurality of times, the conversion unit discontinues a process of converting the movement of the finger recognized by the finger sensor into the input event.

5. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein when the finger sensor has recognized a movement of a finger in a vertical direction a plurality of times, the conversion unit discontinues a process of converting the movement of the finger recognized by the finger sensor into the input event.

6. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the finger sensor is positioned on a rear side with respect to a front side where a display of the portable terminal is present.

7. The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the finger sensor is positioned on a side on which an index finger lies when a user sees a display of the portable terminal while holding the display with one hand.

8. An input control method comprising:

recognizing a movement of a finger by a finger sensor; and

converting the movement of the finger recognized at the recognizing into an input event corresponding to an operation instruction to an application running on the portable terminal, wherein

at the converting, if a period of time from recognition of release of the finger from the finger sensor to recognition of placement of the finger on the finger sensor is less than a predetermined amount of time corresponding to physical limitations of a human, the recognition of placement of the finger and recognition of a movement of the finger until recognition of release of the finger after the recognition of placement of the finger are not converted into the input event.

9. The input control method according to claim 8, wherein at the converting, even when the finger sensor has recognized a movement of a finger indicating that the finger has been placed on the finger sensor, the movement of the finger is not converted into the input event until a predetermined amount of time elapses since the recognition of placement of the finger on the finger sensor.

10. The input control method according to claim 8, wherein the converting includes discontinuing, when a difference in an amount of movement of a finger recognized by the finger sensor is greater than a predetermined value, a process of converting the movement of the finger recognized by the finger sensor into the input event.

11. The input method according to claim 8, wherein the converting includes discontinuing, when the finger sensor has recognized an inversion of a moving direction of a finger a plurality of times, a process of converting the movement of the finger recognized by the finger sensor into the input event.

12. The portable terminal according to claim 8, wherein the converting includes discontinuing, when the finger sensor has recognized a movement of a finger in a vertical direction a plurality of times, a process of converting the movement of the finger recognized by the finger sensor into the input event.