APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR USER INPUT FOR CONTROLLING DISPLAYED INFORMATION

• US 20120113018A1
• Filed: 11/09/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Yan, Qifeng
• Granted Patent: US 10,146,426 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/302 for viewing without the aid of special glasses, i.e. using autostereoscopic displays

Abstract

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, a method for proximity based input is provided, comprising: receiving information on presence of an object in close proximity to a touch screen surface, detecting a display element currently associated with the object, the display element being visualized to be displaced from the screen surface level in the z-direction substantially perpendicular to the screen surface, and adapting the display element on the basis of distance between object and the screen, wherein the display element is visualized to locate substantially at the touch screen surface level in response to detecting the object to touch the touch screen surface.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

receive information on presence of an object in close proximity to a touch screen surface,

detect a display element currently associated with the object, the display element being visualized to be displaced from the screen surface level in the z-direction substantially perpendicular to the screen surface, and

adapt the display element on the basis of a distance between the object and the screen surface, wherein the display element is visualized to locate substantially at the touch screen surface level in response to detecting the object to touch the touch screen surface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to cause a display operation to adapt the visualized displacement of the display element in the z-direction in relation to the screen surface level on the basis of a disparity value dependent on the detected distance.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the disparity value defines displacement between two images of the display element in x-direction substantially parallel to the screen surface.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is configured to set the disparity value as zero in response to detecting the object to touch the touch screen surface.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to visualize the display element at the same side of the touch screen level as the object, and

the apparatus is configured to cause a display operation to visualize the display element to move in the same direction as the object.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to visualize the display element at an opposite side of the touch screen level as compared to the position of the object, and

the apparatus is configured to cause a display operation to visualize the display element to move in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the object.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to switch between three-dimensional mode and two-dimensional modes, and

the apparatus is configured to change to two-dimensional mode in response to detecting the object to touch the touch screen surface.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to detect a virtual touch of the object to a portion of a display element, and

the apparatus is configured to detect the display element as a target display element in response to detecting the virtual touch.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a mobile communications device comprising the touch screen.

2. (canceled)

11. A method, comprising:

receiving, by an apparatus, information on presence of an object in close proximity to a touch screen surface,

detecting a display element currently associated with the object, the display element being visualized to be displaced from the screen surface level in the z-direction substantially perpendicular to the screen surface, and

adapting the display element on the basis of a distance between the object and the screen surface, wherein the display element is visualized to locate substantially at the touch screen surface level in response to detecting the object to touch the touch screen surface.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a display operation is controlled to adapt the visualized displacement of the display element in the z-direction in relation to the screen surface level on the basis of a disparity value dependent on the detected distance.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the disparity value defines displacement between two images of the display element in x-direction substantially parallel to the screen surface.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the disparity value is set as zero in response to detecting the object to touch the touch screen surface.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the display element is visualized at the same side of the touch screen level as the object, and

a display operation is caused to visualize the display element to move in the same direction as the object.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the display element is visualized at an opposite side of the touch screen level as compared to the position of the object, and

a display operation is caused to visualize the display element to move in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the object.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the apparatus switches from a three-dimensional mode to a two-dimensional mode in response to detecting the object to touch the touch screen surface.

18. The method of claim 11, a virtual touch of the object to a portion of a display element is detected, and

the display element is detected as a target display element in response to detecting the virtual touch.

19. A user interface for an electronic device comprising a proximity detection system for detecting presence of an input object in close proximity to a screen surface, wherein the user interface is configured to:

detect presence of an object in close proximity to a touch screen surface,

detect a display element currently associated with the object, the display element being visualized to be displaced from the screen surface level in the z-direction substantially perpendicular to the screen surface, and

adapt the display element on the basis of a distance between the object and the screen, wherein the display element is visualized to locate substantially at the touch screen surface level in response to detecting the object to touch the touch screen surface.

20. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium bearing computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer, the computer program code comprising code for causing the computer to perform;

receive information on presence of an object in close proximity to a touch screen surface,

detect a display element currently associated with the object, the display element being visualized to be displaced from the screen surface level in the z-direction substantially perpendicular to the screen surface, and

adapt the display element on the basis of a distance between the object and the screen surface, wherein the display element is visualized to locate substantially at the touch screen surface level in response to detecting the object to touch the touch screen surface.