LOCATION OF A TOUCH-SENSITIVE CONTROL METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20130318474A1
• Filed: 08/07/2013
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: GRIFFIN, Jason Tyler, WOOD, Todd Andrew
• Application Number:
  US13/961,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20130318474A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 detecting a touch on a touch-sensitive display at a location not associated with a control, displaying, in association with the location, a displayed control, and activating the displayed control.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a touch on a touch-sensitive display at a location not associated with a control;

in response to detecting the touch, displaying a plurality of different controls;

identifying a selected control from the plurality of different controls;

displaying, in association with the location, the selected control as a displayed control and activating the displayed control.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the displayed control comprises associating the location with at least one function associated with the displayed control.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a function associated with the displayed control when a subsequent touch associated with the displayed control is detected.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the control is a control panel.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying an option to locate the displayed control.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a control in an alternate format prior to detecting the touch.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving the displayed control to another location

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving the displayed control to a second location, wherein the first location is located on a first segment of the touch-sensitive display and the second location is located on a second segment of the touch-sensitive display, wherein the first segment and the second segment are physically separated.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed control is displayed in a reduced format when the control is not used for a predetermined period of time or after power down of the touch-sensitive display.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising

displaying a second control in response to detecting a second touch;

associating a first set of functions with the displayed control;

associating a second set of functions with the second control;

associating a third set of controls to a combination of touches associated with the displayed control and the second control.

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

13. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to activate the displayed control by associating the location with at least one function associated with the displayed control.

14. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to perform a function associated with the displayed control when a subsequent touch associated with the displayed control is detected.

15. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the selected control is a control panel.

16. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to display an option to locate the displayed control.

17. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to display the plurality of different controls in an alternate format.

18. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to move the displayed control to another location in response to detecting a touch event.

19. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to move the displayed control to a second location, wherein the first location is located on a first segment of the touch-sensitive display and the second location is located on a second segment of the touch-sensitive display, wherein the first segment and the second segment are physically separated.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

display a second control in response to detecting a second touch;

associate a first set of functions with the displayed control;

associate a second set of functions with the second control;

associate a third set of controls to a combination of touches associated with the displayed control and the second control;

wherein a first subset of the first set of functions is common with a first subset of the second set of functions, wherein a second subset of the first set of functions is different from a second subset of the second set of functions, and wherein display of the first control overlaps in time with display of the second control.

12. An electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

a processor configured to;

detect a touch on a touch-sensitive display at a location not associated with a control;

in response to detecting the touch, display a plurality of different controls;

identify a selected control from the plurality of different controls;

display, in association with the location, the selected control as a displayed control;

activate the displayed control.