IDENTIFICATION OF TOUCH POINT ON TOUCH SCREEN DEVICE

• US 20120287056A1
• Filed: 05/13/2011
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Ibdah, Abdallah
• Granted Patent: US 8,773,374 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 system and method of determining a target touch point on a touch screen is presented. A touch down event at a first time and a first location on a touch screen is detected and a touch up event at a second time and a second location on the touch screen is detected. A mode of operation using at least one of the touch down event and the touch up event is characterized. A target touch point is determined using at least one of the touch down event, the touch up event, and the characterization of the mode of operation.

Claims

1. A method of determining a target touch point on a touch screen, comprising:

detecting a touch down event at a first time and a first location on a touch screen;

detecting a touch up event at a second time and a second location on the touch screen;

characterizing a mode of operation using at least one of the touch down event and the touch up event; and

determining a target touch point using at least one of the touch down event, the touch up event, and the characterization of the mode of operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a mode of operation by analyzing at least one of the touch down event and the touch up event includes:

calculating a difference between the second time and the first time to identify a touch duration; and

characterizing the mode of operation using at least the touch duration.

3. The method of claim 2, including weighting a position of the target touch point towards either the touch down event location or the touch up event location based upon the touch duration.

4. The method of claim 3, including, when the touch duration is less than a predefined threshold, weighting the target touch point towards the touch down event location and, when the touch duration is longer a second predefined threshold, weighting the target touch point towards the touch up event location.

5. The method of claim 3, including at least one of:

when the touch duration is less than approximately 100 milliseconds, weighting a position of the target touch point towards the touch down event location;

when the touch duration is between approximately 100 milliseconds and approximately 250 milliseconds, weighting a position of the target touch point towards a midpoint between the touch down event location and the touch up event location; and

when the touch duration is greater than approximately 250 milliseconds, weighting a position of the target touch point towards the touch up event location.

6. The method of claim 1, including, when a distance between the touch down event and the touch up event is greater than a predetermined threshold distance, determining that the position of the touch down event is the target touch point.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined threshold distance is greater than 5 millimeters.

8. The method of claim 1, including:

recording a touch path between the touch down event location and the touch up event location; and

wherein the target touch point is located on the touch path.

9. A method of determining a target touch point on a touch screen, comprising:

detecting a touch down event at a first time and a first location on a touch screen;

detecting a touch up event at a second time and a second location on the touch screen;

comparing the first time and the second time to determine a touch duration for characterizing an operation of the touch screen; and

determining a target touch point using the touch down event location, the touch up event location, and the touch duration.

10. The method of claim 9, including weighting a position of the target touch point towards either the touch down event location or the touch up event location based upon the touch duration.

11. The method of claim 10, including, when the touch duration is less than a predefined threshold, weighting the target touch point towards the touch down event location and when the touch duration is longer a second predefined threshold, weighting the target touch point towards the touch up event location.

12. The method of claim 11, including at least one of:

when the touch duration is less than approximately 100 milliseconds, weighting a position of the target touch point towards the touch down event location;

when the touch duration is between approximately 100 milliseconds and approximately 250 milliseconds, weighting a position of the target touch point towards a midpoint between the touch down event location and the touch up event location; and

when the touch duration is greater than approximately 250 milliseconds, weighting a position of the target touch point towards the touch up event location.

13. The method of claim 9, including, when a distance between the touch down event and the touch up event is greater than a predetermined threshold distance, determining that the position of the touch down event is the target touch point.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the predetermined threshold distance is greater than 5 millimeters.

15. The method of claim 9, including:

recording a touch path between the touch down event location and the touch up event location; and

wherein the target touch point is located on the touch path.

16. A user equipment, comprising:

a touch screen;

a sensor coupled to the touch screen and configured to;

detect a touch down event at a first time and a first location on the touch screen, and

detect a touch up event at a second time and a second location on the touch screen; and

a processor coupled to the sensor and in communication with a memory, the memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

identify a mode of operation by analyzing the touch down event and the touch up event, and

determine a target touch point using at least one of the touch down event, the touch up event, and the mode of operation.

17. The user equipment of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to:

calculate a difference between the second time and the first time to identify a touch duration; and

characterize the mode of operation using the touch duration.

18. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to weight a position of the target touch point towards either the touch down event location or the touch up event location based upon the touch duration.

19. The user equipment of claim 18, wherein, when the touch duration is less than a predefined threshold, the processor is configured to weight the target touch point towards the touch down event location and when the touch duration is longer a second predefined threshold, the processor is configured to weight the target touch point towards the touch up event location.

20. The user equipment of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to record a touch path between the touch down event location and the touch up event location, and the target touch point is located on the touch path.