APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TOUCH INPUT IN PORTABLE TERMINAL

• US 20110242032A1
• Filed: 03/31/2011
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: SEO, Suck-Ho, KIM, Jae-Hwan
• Application Number:
  US13/076,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20110242032A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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

An apparatus and method for touch input in a portable terminal are provided. The apparatus includes a pattern determining unit and an input determining unit. The pattern determining unit determines an input pattern of a user by analyzing a touch input generated at a point outside an input region set to input data. The input determining unit determines candidate input regions in a vicinity of coordinates of the touch input point, and estimates a desired input region of the user among the candidate input regions on a basis of an input pattern of the user.

Claims

1. An apparatus for touch input in a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a pattern determining unit for determining an input pattern of a user by analyzing a touch input generated at a point outside an input region set to input data; and

an input determining unit for determining candidate input regions in a vicinity of coordinates of the touch input point, and for estimating a desired input region of the user among the candidate input regions on a basis of the input pattern of the user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus changes an input range of an input region according to the input pattern of the user after determining the input pattern of the user.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input determining unit determines input regions located within a predetermined distance from the coordinates of the touch input point, and defines the determined input regions as the candidate input regions.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the input determining unit determines distances from coordinates of the touch input point to center coordinates of the candidate input regions, and determines a candidate input region comprising a smallest distance to the touch input point as the desired input region of the user.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pattern determining unit determines the input pattern of the user by analyzing the coordinates of user touch inputs generated for a predetermined time.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input determining unit determines distances from an X-axis coordinate of the touch input point to X-axis coordinates of the candidate input regions, and determines a candidate input region comprising a smallest X-axis distance to the touch input point as the desired input region of the user.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input region set to input the data includes a plurality of key input regions, and centers of key input regions of different lines are not located on a same vertical straight line.

8. A method for touch input in a portable terminal, the method comprising:

obtaining coordinates of a touch input point if it is determined that a touch input is generated at a point outside an input region set to input data;

determining candidate input regions in a vicinity of the coordinates of the touch input point; and

estimating a desired input region of a user among the candidate input regions on a basis of an input pattern of a user.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining distances from coordinates of the touch input point to center coordinates of the candidate input regions; and

determining a candidate input region comprising a smallest distance to the touch input point as the desired input region of the user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the input pattern of the user is determined in accordance with the coordinates of the touch input point.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein an input range of the input region is changed according to the input pattern of the user after determining the input pattern of the user.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising detecting a cancel input,

wherein the input pattern of the user is determined in accordance with the cancel input.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining of the candidate input regions comprises:

obtaining an X-axis coordinate among the coordinates of the touch input point;

determining key input regions located within a predetermined threshold distance from the X-axis coordinate of the touch input point; and

defining the determined key input regions as the candidate input regions.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the input pattern of the user is determined by analyzing coordinates of user touch inputs generated for a predetermined time.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the estimating of the desired input region of the user comprises:

obtaining an X-axis coordinate among the coordinates of the touch input point;

determining distances from the X-axis coordinate of the touch input point to X-axis coordinates of the candidate input regions; and

determining a candidate input region comprising a smallest X-axis distance to the touch input point as the desired input region of the user.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the input region set to input the data includes a plurality of key input regions, and centers of key input regions of different lines are not located on a same vertical straight line.