ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING SAME

• US 20120206373A1
• Filed: 02/11/2011
• Published: 08/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: GUTHRIE, Martin George Albert, VAN EERD, Peter Anthony, KRIVOSHLYKOV, Igor
• Granted Patent: US 8,810,529 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method includes detecting movement of a touch on a touch-sensitive display of an electronic device from a first touch location to a second touch location. When the distance between the first touch location and the second touch location meets a first threshold, the second touch location is reported to an application layer of the electronic device. After the first threshold is met, a third touch location is reported to the application layer when movement of the touch from the second touch location to the third touch location is detected and the distance between the second touch location and the third touch location meets a second threshold.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting movement of a touch on a touch-sensitive display of an electronic device from a first touch location to a second touch location;

when the distance between the first touch location and the second touch location meets a first threshold, reporting the second touch location to an application layer of the electronic device;

after the first threshold is met, reporting a third touch location to the application layer when movement of the touch from the second touch location to the third touch location is detected and the distance between the second touch location and the third touch location meets a second threshold.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first threshold is a value and when the distance between the first touch location and the second touch location meets the first threshold, the value is changed to the second threshold.

3. The method according to claim 2, comprising changing the value from the second threshold to the first threshold in response to detecting an end of the touch.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising utilizing the second touch location in an application when the second touch location is reported.

5. The method according to claim 1, comprising utilizing the third touch location in an application when the third touch location is reported.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first threshold is a value at a controller of the electronic device and, when the distance between the first touch location and the second touch location meets the first threshold, the value is changed to the second threshold.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the first touch location and the second touch location is determined at a controller of the electronic device.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the distance between the first touch location and the second touch location does not meet the first threshold, the touch is determined to be a tap.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second threshold is less than the first threshold.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting movement comprises comparing the second location to the first location to determine a difference.

11. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

detecting movement of a second touch from a fourth touch location to a fifth touch location on the touch-sensitive display, which second touch overlaps at least partially in time with the first touch,

after the first threshold is met, reporting the fourth touch location to the application layer when a distance of movement between the fourth touch location and the fifth touch location meets the second threshold.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first threshold is a value and when the distance between the first touch location and the second touch location meets the first threshold, the value is changed to the second threshold, and the value is changed from the second threshold to the first threshold when the touches end.

13. 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.

14. An electronic device comprising:

a processor;

a touch-sensitive display including touch sensors and a controller arranged to detect a touch and to detect movement of the touch from a first touch location to a second touch location

wherein the electronic device is configured to, when the distance between the first touch location and the second touch location meets a first value of a threshold, reporting the second touch location to an application layer at the processor and changing the threshold to a second value such that when movement of the touch from the second touch location to a third touch location is detected and the distance between the second touch location and the third touch location meets the second value, the third touch location is reported to the application layer.

15. A method comprising:

detecting movement of a touch on a touch-sensitive display of an electronic device from a first touch location to a second touch location;

when the distance between the first touch location and the second touch location meets a first threshold, reporting the second touch location to an application layer of the electronic device;

after the first threshold is met, reporting a third touch location to an operating system layer when movement of the touch from the second touch location to the third touch location is detected and the distance between the second touch location and the third touch location meets a second threshold.

16. The method according to claim 15, comprising reporting the third touch location to the application layer when the third touch location meets a third threshold.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the third threshold is stored at the OS layer.

18. The method according to claim 15, comprising detecting movement of a second touch on the touch-sensitive display from a fifth location to a sixth location and when the distance between the fifth location and the sixth location meets the second threshold, reporting the sixth touch location to the operating system layer.

19. The method according to claim 18, comprising reporting the sixth touch location to the application layer when the distance between the fifth location and the sixth location meets a third threshold at the operating system layer.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein the second threshold is a greatest common divisor of the first threshold and a third, lower threshold.