PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING SAME

• US 20110231789A1
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: BUKURAK, David William, LEE, Jong-Suk John, GRIFFIN, Jason Tyler, MUJKIC, Alen, LANGLOIS, Michael George
• Granted Patent: US 8,756,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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 of controlling a portable electronic device that has a touch-sensitive display includes displaying information on the touch-sensitive display, detecting a gesture on the touch-sensitive display, scrolling through the information in a first scrolling mode when the gesture is associated with a first area of the touch-sensitive display, and scrolling through the information in a second scrolling mode when the gesture is associated with a second area of the touch-sensitive display.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying information on a touch-sensitive display of a portable electronic device;

detecting a gesture on the touch-sensitive display;

scrolling through the information in a first scrolling mode when the gesture is associated with a first area of the touch-sensitive display;

scrolling through the information in a second scrolling mode when the gesture is associated with a second area of the touch-sensitive display.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information is displayed in the first area.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising displaying a keyboard including selectable keys in the second area.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the virtual keyboard is displayed while scrolling through the information.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first scrolling mode and the second scrolling mode comprise a page scrolling mode and a cursor scrolling mode.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the page scrolling mode comprises displaying a different part of the information.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the cursor scrolling mode comprises moving a cursor through the information.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein an amount of scrolling is based on a length of the gesture.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting a gesture comprises detecting a swipe.

10. The method according to claim 1, comprising determining an origin and a direction of the gesture, and scrolling based on the direction.

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

12. A portable electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive display configured to display information;

a processor configured to;

detect a gesture on the touch-sensitive display;

scroll through the information in a first scrolling mode when the gesture is associated with a first area of the touch-sensitive display;

scroll through the information in a second scrolling mode when the gesture is associated with a second area of the touch-sensitive display.

13. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the information is displayed in the first area.

14. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, comprising rendering a keyboard including selectable keys in the second area.

15. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the virtual keyboard is displayed while scrolling through the information.

16. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the first scrolling mode and the second scrolling mode comprise a page scrolling mode and a cursor scrolling mode.

17. The portable electronic device according to claim 16, wherein the page scrolling mode comprises displaying a different part of the information.

18. The portable electronic device according to claim 16, wherein the cursor scrolling mode comprises moving a cursor through the information.

19. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein an amount of scrolling is dependent on a length of the gesture.

20. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein detecting a gesture comprises detecting a swipe.