Portable Electronic Device and Method of Controlling Same

• US 20120127098A1
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited, QNX Software Systems Limited (Canada) (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Lazaridis, Mihal, Lindsay, Donald James, Dodge, Daniel Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 9,218,125 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• 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 includes displaying information associated with a first application on a touch-sensitive display, detecting a touch on a touch-sensitive display and determining touch attributes, determining when the touch is a first gesture type based on the touch attributes, and when the touch is determined to be the first gesture type, forwarding information related to the touch to a second application, otherwise forwarding the information related to the touch to the first application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying information associated with a first application on a touch-sensitive display;

detecting a touch on a touch-sensitive display and determining touch attributes;

determining when the touch is a first gesture type based on the touch attributes; and

when the touch is determined to be the first gesture type, forwarding information related to the touch to a second application, otherwise forwarding the information related to the touch to the first application.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first gesture type comprises a meta-navigation gesture

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining comprises determining when the touch crosses a boundary of the touch-sensitive display.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the boundary is disposed near a periphery of a display area of the touch-sensitive display.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the boundary comprises a boundary between a display area and non-display area of the touch-sensitive display.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining comprises determining that the touch is a meta-navigation gesture based on gesture speed when the touch is detected.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein determining comprises determining that the touch is a meta-navigation gesture based on gesture direction when the touch is detected.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining comprises determining utilizing a heuristic algorithm responsive to the touch attributes.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the touch attributes comprise a start location, and at least one of a distance travelled, a speed, and a direction of the touch.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining comprises determining that the touch is a meta-navigation gesture when a start location is outside of a display area of the touch-sensitive display.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein determining comprises determining that the touch enters the display area.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining comprises determining that the touch is a meta-navigation gesture when a start location is outside of a display area and a buffer area adjacent the display area and the touch travels through the buffer area to the display area of the touch-sensitive display.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein determining comprises determining that the touch is not a meta-navigation gesture when the start location is in the buffer area.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the buffer area extends around the display area.

15. The method according to claim 1, comprising displaying information associated with the second application on the touch-sensitive display when the touch is determined to be a meta-navigation gesture.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein displaying the information associated with the second application comprises displaying for a predetermined period of time.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein displaying information associated with the second application comprises discontinuing displaying the information associated with the first application.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein displaying information associated with the second application comprises overlaying the information associated with the first application.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein displaying information comprises displaying information from one of a system level navigation interface, a configuration interface, a notification interface, a status interface, and an interface associated with a further application.

20. The method according to claim 1, comprising displaying information associated with a further application on the touch-sensitive display when the touch is determined to be a meta-navigation gesture.

21. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting a touch comprises detecting multiple touches that overlap in time on the touch-sensitive display and determining touch attributes for each touch.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein determining comprises determining that the multiple touches comprise a meta-navigation gesture when at least one of the touches has an origin point outside a boundary and crosses the boundary.

23. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable code executable by at least one processor of the portable electronic device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 22.

24. An electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

memory;

a processor coupled to the touch-sensitive display and the memory to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 22.

25. The electronic device according to claim 24, wherein the touch-sensitive display comprises a display and at least one touch-sensitive input device that is disposed on a display area and a non-display area of the display.

26. The electronic device according to claim 24, wherein a density of touch sensors disposed on the display area differs from a density of touch sensors disposed on the non-display area.

27. The electronic device according to claim 24 wherein the meta-navigation gesture comprises a gesture with a start location associated with the non-display area.

28. The electronic device according to claim 24, comprising a touch-sensitive bezel adjacent the touch-sensitive display.

29. The electronic device according to claim 28, wherein the meta-navigation gesture comprises a gesture with a start location on the touch-sensitive bezel.