ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING SAME

• US 20130021263A1
• Filed: 07/21/2011
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: TONG, Kuo-Feng, DIPPEL, Jeffrey John Paul, TIMMERMAN, Kevin Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,994,670 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 a first touch at a first touch location on a touch-sensitive display, detecting a second touch at a second touch location on the touch-sensitive display, and when a first distance from the first touch location to the second touch location meets a distance threshold and a second distance from the previous touch location to the first touch location does not meet the distance threshold, identifying the second touch as a new touch.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a first touch at a first touch location on a touch-sensitive display;

detecting a second touch at a second touch location on the touch-sensitive display;

when a first distance from the first touch location to the second touch location meets a distance threshold and a second distance from the previous touch location to the first touch location does not meet the distance threshold, identifying the second touch as a new touch.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising identifying the second touch as new when the first distance meets the distance threshold and a time between detecting the first touch and detecting the second touch meets a time threshold.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising identifying the first touch and the second touch as one touch when the first distance does not meet the distance threshold.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising identifying the first touch and the second touch as one touch when a time between detecting the first touch and detecting the second touch does not meet a time threshold and when the second distance does not meet the distance threshold.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first touch and the second touch are detected in consecutive reports from the touch-sensitive display.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a previous touch, the first touch, and the second touch are detected in three consecutive reports from the touch-sensitive display.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein identifying the second touch as the new touch comprises determining that the first touch has ended.

8. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable code executable by at least one processor of the electronic device to perform the method of claim 1.

9. An electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

a processor coupled to the touch-sensitive display to detect a first touch at a first touch location on the touch-sensitive display, detect a second touch at a second touch location on the touch-sensitive display, and when a first distance from the first touch location to the second touch location meets a distance threshold and a second distance from a previous touch location to the first touch location does not meet the distance threshold, identify the second touch as a new touch.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the processor identifies the second touch as new when the first distance meets the distance threshold and a time between detecting the first touch and detecting the second touch meets a time threshold.

11. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the processor identifies the first touch and the second touch as one touch when the first distance does not meet the distance threshold.

12. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the first touch and the second touch are identified as one touch when a time between detecting the first touch and detecting the second touch does not meet a time threshold and when the second distance does not meet the distance threshold.

13. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the previous touch, the first touch, and the second touch are detected in three consecutive reports from the touch-sensitive display.

14. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the processor determines that first touch has ended when the second touch is identified as new.

15. A method comprising:

detecting a first touch at a first touch location on a touch-sensitive display;

detecting a second touch at a second touch location on the touch-sensitive display;

detecting a third touch at a third touch location on the touch-sensitive display;

identifying whether the third touch is a new touch or is associated with the second touch based on the first touch location, the second touch location, and the third touch location.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein identifying comprises identifying based on a first distance between the first touch location and the second touch location and a second distance between the second touch location and the third touch location.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein identifying comprises identifying the third touch as new and that the second touch has ended when the distance from the second touch location to the third touch location meets a distance threshold and when the distance from the first touch location to the second touch location does not meet the threshold.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the first touch, the second touch, and the third touch are detected in consecutive reports from the touch-sensitive display.

19. The method according to claim 15, comprising identifying the third touch as new and that the second touch has ended based on a distance between the second touch location and the third touch location and based on a time between detecting the second touch and detecting the third touch.

20. The method according to claim 15, comprising identifying the third touch as new and that the second touch has ended when a distance between the second touch location and the third touch location meets a distance threshold and a time between receipt of the second touch data and the third touch data meets a time threshold.