Method and Apparatus Pertaining to Stylus-Based Responses

• US 20130285929A1
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: James Allen Hymel, Wolfgang Michael Theimer
• Inventors: THEIMER, Wolfgang Michael, HYMEL, James Allen, LEWIN, Mathias, WILSON, Roy Robert George, ELIASHEVSKY, Ilya Alexander
• Application Number:
  US13/459,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20130285929A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-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 and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• 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 control circuit detects an initial interaction between a touch-sensitive surface and a stylus and responsively automatically displays a corresponding fresh electronic ink writing façade. By one approach the initial interaction can comprise a non-touching interaction. The fresh electronic ink writing façade can comprise a representation of an unmarked sheet of paper. If desired, upon detecting the initial interaction, the control circuit can first determine whether an electronic ink writing façade already exists for the presently-displayed content. When true, the control circuit can automatically display at least a portion of the already existing electronic ink writing façade. Otherwise, the control circuit can provide the aforementioned fresh electronic ink writing façade.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

by a control circuit;

detecting an initial interaction between a touch-sensitive surface and a stylus;

in response to detecting the initial interaction between the touch-sensitive surface and the stylus, automatically displaying a corresponding fresh electronic ink writing facade.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting an initial interaction between the touch-sensitive surface and the stylus comprises detecting a non-touching interaction.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the fresh electronic ink writing faç

ade comprises a representation of an unmarked sheet of paper.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the representation of the unmarked sheet of paper comprises a representation that occupies at least fifty percent of the touch-sensitive surface.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the representation occupies substantially all of the touch-sensitive surface.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the control circuit is further configured to also display on the touch-sensitive surface, along with the fresh electronic ink writing faç

ade, content corresponding to a present user-interface context.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the control circuit is further configured to also display on the touch-sensitive surface, along with the fresh electronic ink writing faç

ade, a listing of selectable stylus options.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically displaying the corresponding fresh electronic ink writing faç

ade includes displaying a stylus shadow that tracks movement of the stylus with respect to the touch-sensitive surface.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically displaying a corresponding fresh electronic ink writing faç

ade comprises;

determining whether an electronic ink writing faç

ade already exists for a presently-displayed context;

when an electronic ink writing faç

ade already exists for the presently-displayed context, automatically displaying at least a portion of the already existing electronic ink writing faç

ade; and

when an electronic ink writing faç

ade does not already exist for the presently-displayed context, automatically displaying the corresponding fresh electronic ink writing faç

ade.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

a stylus-proximity sensor;

a control circuit operably coupled to the touch-sensitive display and the stylus-proximity sensor and being configured to;

use the stylus-proximity sensor to detect an initial interaction between the touch-sensitive display and a stylus;

in response to detecting the initial interaction between the touch-sensitive display and the stylus, automatically displaying on the touch-sensitive display a corresponding fresh electronic ink writing facade.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the control circuit is configured to detect the initial interaction between the touch-sensitive display and the stylus by detecting a non-touching interaction.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the fresh electronic ink writing faç

ade comprises a representation of an unmarked sheet of paper.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the representation of the unmarked sheet of paper comprises a representation that occupies at least fifty percent of the touch-sensitive display.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the control circuit is further configured to also display on the touch-sensitive display, along with the fresh electronic ink writing faç

ade, content corresponding to a present user-interface context.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the control circuit is further configured to also display on the touch-sensitive display, along with the fresh electronic ink writing faç

ade, a listing of selectable stylus options.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the control circuit is further configured to automatically display on the electronic ink writing facade a stylus shadow that tracks movement of the stylus with respect to the touch-sensitive display.