METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CHOOSING AN INTENDED TARGET ELEMENT FROM AN IMPRECISE TOUCH ON A TOUCH SCREEN DISPLAY

• US 20130328788A1
• Filed: 06/08/2012
• Published: 12/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: WIBBELER, PATRICK RICHARD
• Granted Patent: US 9,001,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A method and apparatus for an improved workflow for choosing an intended target element from an imprecise touch on a touch screen display comprises determining whether a touch is within a bounding box of precisely one of a plurality of elements on a touch screen display; expanding the bounding box of all of the elements in the plurality of elements; determining whether the touch is within the expanded bounding box of at least one element in the plurality of elements; calculating a distance between the touch and a center of the bounding box for at least two elements in the plurality of elements, wherein the touch is determined to be within the expanded bounding box of the at least two elements; and determining a target element based on the shortest calculated distance between the touch and a center of the bounding box of the at least two elements.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for choosing an intended target element from an imprecise touch on a touch screen display, comprising:

determining whether a touch point is within a bounding box of precisely one of a plurality of elements on a touch screen display;

expanding the bounding box of all of the elements in the plurality of elements when the touch point is not within the bounding box of precisely one of the plurality of elements;

determining whether the touch point is within the expanded bounding box of at least one of the elements in the plurality of elements;

calculating a distance between the touch point and a center of the bounding box of at least two elements in the plurality of elements, wherein the touch point is determined to be within the expanded bounding box of the at least two elements; and

choosing a target element based on the shortest calculated distance between the touch point and a center of the bounding box of the at least two elements in the plurality of elements, wherein the touch point is determined to be within the expanded bounding box for the at least two elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of elements on the touch screen display have a dimension equal or less than ¼

inch by ¼

inch.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch point comprises x and y coordinates defining a location on the touch screen display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the bounding box is defined four x,y coordinate pairs representing four corners of the bounding box.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein expanding the bounding box comprises increasing the bounding box by a predefined dimension on each side.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch point is determined to be within the bounding box of at least one element when the touch point x value is less than or equal to the maximum x value of the bounding box of the element and greater than or equal to the minimum x value of the bounding box and the touch point y value is greater than or equal to the minimum y value of the bounding box and less than or equal to the maximum y value of the bounding box.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a target element comprises finding no target element when the touch point does not lie within the expanded bounding box of at least one element in the plurality of elements.

8. An apparatus for choosing the intended target element from an imprecise touch on a touch screen display, comprising:

a touch location module for determining a target element comprising;

a touch detector for determining a location of a touch on a touch screen and determining whether the touch is within a bounding box of precisely one of a plurality of elements on a touch screen display;

a box expander for expanding the bounding box of all elements in the plurality of elements and determining whether the touch point is within the expanded bounding box of at least one of the elements in the plurality of elements; and

a distance computer for calculating a distance between the touch point and a center of the bounding box of at least two elements in the plurality of elements, wherein the touch point is determined to be within the expanded bounding box of the at least two elements, and determining a target element based on the shortest calculated distance between the touch point and a center of the bounding box of the at least two elements in the plurality of elements, wherein the touch point is determined to be within the expanded bounding box for the at least two elements.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the plurality of elements on the touch screen display are equal or less than ¼

inch by ¼

inch.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the touch point comprises x and y coordinates defining a location on the touch screen display.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the bounding box is defined four x,y coordinate pairs representing the four corners of the bounding box.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein expanding the bounding box comprises increasing the bounding box by a predefined dimension on each side.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the touch point is determined to be within the bounding box of the at least one element when the touch point x value is less than or equal to the maximum x value of the bounding box of the element and greater than or equal to the minimum x value of the bounding box and the touch point y value is greater than or equal to the minimum y value of the bounding box and less than or equal to the maximum y value of the bounding box.

14. A non-transient computer readable medium for storing computer instructions that, when executed by at least one processor cause the at least one processor to perform a method for choosing an intended target element from an imprecise touch comprising:

determining whether a touch point is within a bounding box of precisely one of a plurality of elements on a touch screen display;

expanding the bounding box of all of the elements in the plurality of elements when the touch point is not within the bounding box of precisely one of the plurality of elements;

determining whether the touch point is within the expanded bounding box of at least one of the elements in the plurality of elements;

calculating a distance between the touch point and a center of the bounding box of at least two elements in the plurality of elements, wherein the touch point is determined to be within the expanded bounding box of the at least two elements; and

choosing a target element based on the shortest calculated distance between the touch point and a center of the bounding box of the at least two elements in the plurality of elements, wherein the touch point is determined to be within the expanded bounding box for the at least two elements.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein each element on the touch screen display has a dimension equal or less than ¼

inch by ¼

inch.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the touch point comprises x and y coordinates defining a location on the touch screen display.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the bounding box is defined four x,y coordinate pairs representing four corners of the bounding box.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein expanding the bounding box comprises increasing the bounding box by a predefined dimension on each side.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the touch point is within the bounding box of the at least one element when the touch point x value is less than or equal to the maximum x value of the bounding box of the element and greater than or equal to the minimum x value of the bounding box and the touch point y value is greater than or equal to the minimum y value of the bounding box and less than or equal to the maximum y value of the bounding box.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein determining a target element comprises finding no target element when the touch point does not lie within the expanded bounding box of at least one element in the plurality of elements.