LOCATION OF A TOUCH-SENSITIVE CONTROL METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20120056817A1
• Filed: 09/02/2010
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Griffin, Jason Tyler, Wood, Todd Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 8,531,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 touch on a touch-sensitive display at a location not associated with a control, displaying, in association with the location, a displayed control, and activating the displayed control.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a touch on a touch-sensitive display at a location not associated with a control;

displaying, in association with the location, a displayed control and activating the displayed control.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the displayed control comprises associating the location with at least one function associated with the displayed control.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a function associated with the displayed control when a subsequent touch associated with the displayed control is detected.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing an orientation of the displayed control.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the control is a control panel.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying an option to locate the displayed control.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a control in an alternate format prior to detecting the touch.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving the displayed control to another location.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving the displayed control to a second location, wherein the first location is located on a first segment of the touch-sensitive display and the second location is located on a second segment of the touch-sensitive display, wherein the first segment and the second segment are physically separated.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed control is displayed in a reduced format when the control is not used for a predetermined period of time or after power down of the touch-sensitive display.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a control from a plurality of control options.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a second control in response to detecting a second touch.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising

associating a first set of functions with the displayed control;

associating a second set of functions with the second control;

associating a third set of controls to a combination of touches associated with the displayed control and the second control.

14. 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.

15. An electronic device configured to perform the method of claim 1.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising detecting a third touch associated with the first control and a fourth touch associated with the second control and performing a function based on the third touch and the fourth touch.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the first control is dominant and the second control is secondary.

27. The method of claim 15, further comprising moving at least one of the first control and the second control to a third location.

28. The method of claim 15, further comprising selecting the first control from a plurality of control options.

29. 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 15.

16. A method comprising:

detecting a first touch at a first location on a touch-sensitive display;

displaying, in association with the first location, a first control and activating the first control;

detecting a second touch at a second location on the touch-sensitive display;

displaying, in association with the second location, a second control and activating the second control.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first location and the second location are in fixed locations on the touch-sensitive display

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first location is not associated with any displayed control when the first touch is detected.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the second location is not associated with any displayed control when the second touch is detected.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

associating a first set of functions with the first control;

associating a second set of functions with the second control;

associating a third set of controls to a combination of touches associated with the first control and the second control.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the first control is a navigation control and the second control is a cursor control.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the first control controls a first end point and the second control controls a second end point associated with information displayed on the touch-sensitive display.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising switching between the first control and the second control as dominant control.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the dominant control displayed in a first format and the secondary control displayed in second format that is different than the first format.

30. An electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

a first touch-sensitive device disposed within the touch-sensitive display;

a second touch-sensitive device disposed within the touch-sensitive display;

a processor configured to;

when a touch is detected on the first touch-sensitive device when the first touch-sensitive device and the second touch-sensitive device are not active, activate the first touch-sensitive device as a dominant control and display a first control near the first touch-sensitive device;

when a touch is detected on the second touch-sensitive device when the first touch-sensitive device and the second touch-sensitive device are not active, activate the second touch-sensitive device as a dominant control and display a second control near the first touch-sensitive device;

when a touch is detected on the first touch-sensitive device when the first touch-sensitive device second touch-sensitive device is the dominant control, activate the first touch-sensitive device as a secondary control and display a third control near the first touch-sensitive device.

31. The electronic device of claim 30, wherein the first touch-sensitive device is one of a touch-sensitive track pad, a trackball, and an optical joystick.

32. The electronic device of claim 30, wherein at least one of the first touch-sensitive device and the second touch-sensitive device is a virtual control displayed on the touch-sensitive display.

33. The electronic device of claim 30, wherein at least one of the first control, the second control, and the third control is a menu control.