SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISPLAY PROXIMITY BASED CONTROL OF A TOUCH SCREEN USER INTERFACE

• US 20120120002A1
• Filed: 11/17/2010
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ota, Takaaki
• Application Number:
  US12/948,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20120120002A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- 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 without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A touch screen user interface features manipulating an object (e.g. a fingertip) near a display, identifying a target point according to the object trajectory and a nonzero display distance, and performing an interface event at the target point computed as a projected intersection point between the object and the display, a hovering point, or by determining when the object crosses a display distance threshold or approaches the display faster than a predetermined speed. The interface event includes triggering a popup menu, moving a cursor, clicking a tool tip, clicking a hotkey, or adjusting a display image, and is activated by hovering the object for a duration, moving the object faster than a velocity threshold, crossing a second display distance threshold, crossing multiple display distance thresholds within a time limit, or by moving multiple objects simultaneously. The interface may properly control Flash®-based applications without separate pointing and selecting mechanisms.

Claims

1. A method of interacting with a display, comprising:

manipulating at least one object in at least one trajectory in detectable proximity to a display;

identifying a target point according to the trajectory and a nonzero distance from the display; and

responsively performing an interface event at the target point.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the display is a capacitive touch screen display.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the display comprises at least one of a cellular phone, a PDA, a handheld computing device, a handheld gaming device, a digital camera, a laptop, a monitor, and a keyboard.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the object is at least one of a fingertip, a stylus, and a pen.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying further comprises computing the target point as at least one of a projected intersection point between the object and the display, and a hovering point.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the trajectory includes a display approach rate in a direction normal to the display.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying further comprises interpolative triangulation of a position of the object.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying further comprises determining when the object crosses at least one predetermined display distance threshold.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the display distance threshold is calibrated for at least one of individual displays and individual objects.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying further comprises determining when a display approach speed exceeds a predetermined display approach speed threshold.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the interface event includes at least one of triggering a popup menu, moving a cursor, clicking a tool tip, clicking a hotkey, panning a display image, scrolling the display image, rotating the display image, and zooming the display image.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the performing is controlled by at least one of hovering the object over the target point for at least a predetermined duration, moving the object at a velocity exceeding a predetermined velocity threshold, crossing a predetermined second display distance threshold, crossing multiple display distance thresholds within a predetermined time limit, and moving multiple objects simultaneously.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein interacting with the display properly operates applications designed for use with devices having conventional cursor controls.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium tangibly embodying computer readable code means thereon to cause a computing device to enable user interaction with a display by:

manipulating at least one object in at least one trajectory in detectable proximity to a display;

identifying a target point according to the trajectory and a nonzero distance from the display; and

responsively performing an interface event at the target point.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the display is a capacitive touch screen display.

16. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the display comprises at least one of a cellular phone, a PDA, a handheld computing device, a handheld gaming device, a digital camera, a laptop, a monitor, and a keyboard.

17. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the object is at least one of a fingertip, a stylus, and a pen.

18. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the identifying further comprises computing the target point as at least one of a projected intersection point between the object and the display, and a hovering point.

19. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the trajectory includes a display approach rate in a direction normal to the display.

20. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the identifying further comprises interpolative triangulation of a position of the object.

21. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the identifying further comprises determining when the object crosses at least one predetermined display distance threshold.

22. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the display distance threshold is calibrated for at least one of individual displays and individual objects.

23. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the identifying further comprises determining when a display approach speed exceeds a predetermined display approach speed threshold.

24. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the interface event includes at least one of triggering a popup menu, moving a cursor, clicking a tool tip, clicking a hotkey, panning a display image, scrolling the display image, rotating the display image, and zooming the display image.

25. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the performing is controlled by at least one of

hovering the object over the target point for at least a predetermined duration,

moving the object at a velocity exceeding a predetermined velocity threshold,

crossing a predetermined second display distance threshold,

crossing multiple display distance thresholds within a predetermined time limit, and

moving multiple objects simultaneously.

26. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein interacting with the display properly operates applications designed for use with devices having conventional cursor controls.

27. A system for interacting with a display, comprising:

at least one object manipulated by a user, the object in at least one trajectory in detectable proximity to a display;

a target point identified according to the trajectory and a nonzero distance from the display; and

an interface event responsively performed at the target point.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the display is a capacitive touch screen display.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein the display comprises at least one of a cellular phone, a PDA, a handheld computing device, a handheld gaming device, a digital camera, a laptop, a monitor, and a keyboard.

30. The system of claim 27 wherein the object is at least one of a fingertip, a stylus, and a pen.

31. The system of claim 27 wherein identifying the target point further comprises computing the target point as at least one of a projected intersection point between the object and the display, and a hovering point.

32. The system of claim 27 wherein the trajectory includes a display approach rate in a direction normal to the display.

33. The system of claim 27 wherein identifying the target point further comprises interpolative triangulation of a position of the object.

34. The system of claim 27 wherein identifying the target point further comprises determining when the object crosses at least one predetermined display distance threshold.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the display distance threshold is calibrated for at least one of individual displays and individual objects.

36. The system of claim 27 wherein identifying the target point further comprises determining when a display approach speed exceeds a predetermined display approach speed threshold.

37. The system of claim 27 wherein the interface event includes at least one of triggering a popup menu, moving a cursor, clicking a tool tip, clicking a hotkey, panning a display image, scrolling the display image, rotating the display image, and zooming the display image.

38. The system of claim 27 wherein the interface event is controlled by at least one of hovering the object over the target point for at least a predetermined duration, moving the object at a velocity exceeding a predetermined velocity threshold, crossing a predetermined second display distance threshold, crossing multiple display distance thresholds within a predetermined time limit, and moving multiple objects simultaneously.

39. The system of claim 27 wherein interacting with the display properly operates applications designed for use with devices having conventional cursor controls.