MOBILE TERMINAL DEVICE, OPERATION METHOD, PROGRAM, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20140022190A1
• Filed: 06/25/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: TOKUTAKE, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 9,116,696 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A mobile terminal device includes a touch panel where a specified input operation is performed with an indicator, an input detection unit, and an operation determination unit. The input detection unit detects the pattern of the input operation based on the position of the indicator on the touch panel, and decreases the frequency of execution of processing arranged to detect the input operation performed on the touch panel when an input operation performed on the touch panel is not detected over a specified time period. When the pattern of the input operation is detected in the case where the execution frequency of the processing arranged to detect the input operation is low, the operation determination unit causes a controlled unit determined to be an operation target in relation to the pattern of the input operation to execute a specified operation.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal device comprising:

a touch panel that detects an input operation;

an input detector that detects a predetermined contact of the input operation on the touch panel, and changes the frequency of detection by the touch panel; and

processing circuitry that controls the input detector to decrease the frequency of detection by the touch panel to a certain level when the input operation is not detected by the touch panel over a specified time period, and executes a specific operation when the predetermined contact of the input operation on the touch panel corresponding to the specific operation is detected by the input detector when the frequency of detection by the touch panel is the certain level.

2. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined contact includes sequential contacts of predetermined locations and/or simultaneous contacts of predetermined multiple locations.

3. The mobile terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the sequential contacts of predetermined locations includes continuous contact of predetermined locations.

4. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein each of the predetermined contact differs depending on the corresponding specific operation.

5. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry starts a camera application or music reproduction when the predetermined contact of the input operation on the touch panel corresponding to the specific operation is detected by the input detector when the frequency of detection by the touch panel is the certain level.

6. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor unit that outputs a sensor value, and the processing circuitry determines which of a specific operation to execute from a plurality of specific operations based on the sensor value, when the predetermined contact of the input operation on the touch panel is detected by the input detector when the frequency of detection by the touch panel is the certain level.

7. The mobile terminal device according to claim 6, wherein the sensor unit comprises an acceleration sensor and the processing circuitry executes a specific operation according to the sensor value.

8. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry executes the specific operation when a predetermined combination of plurality of predetermined contacts of the input operation on the touch panel corresponding to the specific operation is detected by the input detector when the frequency of detection by the touch panel is the certain level.

9. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit, wherein the processing circuitry judges whether the input operation detected by the touch panel is similar to the predetermined contact and controls the display unit to display a guide representing the predetermined contact when the processing circuitry judges the input operation is similar to the predetermined contact.

10. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry controls a sleep period where at least one of the functions of the mobile terminal device is stopped between detection periods of the touch panel when the frequency of detection by the touch panel is the certain level.

11. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel comprises a plurality of panels and the processing circuitry controls the input detector to decrease the frequency of detection by one or more of the panels to a certain level and to decrease the frequency of detection by the other panels to another level which is lower than the certain level when the input operation is not detected by a certain one or more of the panels over a specified time period.

12. The mobile terminal device according to claim 11, wherein one of the panels is a front panel located on a front side of the mobile terminal device and the other two of the panels are side panels located on lateral sides of the mobile terminal device.

13. The mobile terminal device according to claim 12, wherein the processing circuitry controls the input detector to decrease the frequency of detection by the front panel to be deep sleep mode or power off mode which is lower than the frequency of detection by the side panels.

14. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry changes the predetermined contact of the input operation to another predetermined contact of the input operation based on the input from the touch panel.

15. A method for controlling a mobile terminal device, the method comprising:

detecting an input operation by a touch panel;

detecting a predetermined contact of the input operation on the touch panel;

decreasing with processing circuitry the frequency of detection by the touch panel to a certain level when the input operation is not detected by the touch panel over a specified time period; and

executing a specific operation when the predetermined contact of the input operation on the touch panel corresponding to the specific operation is when the frequency of detection by the touch panel is the certain level.

16. The method for controlling a mobile terminal according to claim 15, wherein each of the predetermined contact differs depending on the corresponding specific operation.

17. The method for controlling a mobile terminal according to claim 15, wherein the touch panel comprises a plurality of panels, and the decreasing step comprising the steps of decreasing the frequency of detection by one or more of the panels to a certain level and decreasing the frequency of detection by the other panels to another level which is lower than the certain level when the input operation is not detected by a certain one or more of the panels over a specified time period.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium including executable instructions, which cause processing circuitry to execute a method for controlling a mobile terminal device, comprising:

detecting an input operation by a touch panel;

detecting a predetermined contact of the input operation on the touch panel;

decreasing with the processing circuitry the frequency of detection by the touch panel to a certain level when the input operation is not detected by the touch panel over a specified time period; and

executing a specific operation when the predetermined contact of the input operation on the touch panel corresponding to the specific operation is when the frequency of detection by the touch panel is the certain level.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to 18, wherein each of the predetermined contact differs depending on the corresponding specific operation.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the touch panel comprises a plurality of panels, and the decreasing step comprising the steps of decreasing the frequency of detection by one or more of the panels to a certain level and decreasing the frequency of detection by the other panels to another level which is lower than the certain level when the input operation is not detected by a certain one or more of the panels over a specified time period.