APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING KEY INPUT

• US 20140062887A1
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Dong-Jun, PARK, Chul-Hui, LEE, In-Ho, JEONG, Hye-Soon, HONG, Sun-Yeal
• Granted Patent: US 9,329,698 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• 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 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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 key input control apparatus includes a gesture recognizing unit which detects whether or not an input of a touch event generated on a screen corresponds to a predetermined gesture. A gesture area identifying unit which identifies a predetermined area where the input of the touch event corresponding to the predetermined gesture is generated. A key input recognizing unit which recognizes a hardware key allotted to the predetermined area and performs an operation corresponding to an input of the recognized hardware key.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a key input of a portable terminal, comprising:

a gesture recognizing unit which detects whether or not an input of a touch event generated on a screen corresponds to a predetermined gesture;

a gesture area identifying unit which identifies a predetermined area where the input of the touch event corresponding to the predetermined gesture is generated; and

a key input recognizing unit which recognizes a hardware key assigned to the predetermined area and performs an operation corresponding to an input of the recognized hardware key.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gesture recognizing unit identifies a drag input of the touch event having a predetermined first length or longer as the predetermined gesture.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gesture recognizing unit identifies a drag input, which has a predetermined second length or longer and is dragged to an area to which the hardware key is assigned, as the predetermined gesture.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gesture recognizing unit identifies a drag input, which has a predetermined second length or longer and is dragged from an area to which the hardware key is assigned, as the predetermined gesture.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined area corresponds to one of regions divided along a lengthwise direction of a screen.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a portion of the predetermined gesture is dragged outside of the screen.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined area corresponds to an area which is assigned by dividing the screen by a total number of the hardware key.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hardware key comprises a menu key, a home key, and a back key.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein a portion of the predetermined gesture is dragged outside of the screen.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined area corresponds to an area which is assigned by dividing the screen by a total number of the hardware key.

9. A method for controlling a key input of a portable terminal, comprising:

detecting whether or not an input of a touch event generated on a screen of the portable terminal corresponds to a predetermined gesture;

identifying a predetermined area where the input of the touch event corresponding to the predetermined gesture is generated;

recognizing a hardware key assigned to the identified predetermined area; and

performing an operation corresponding to an input of the recognized hardware key.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined gesture corresponds to a drag input of the touch event having a predetermined first length or longer.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined gesture corresponds to a drag input which has a predetermined second length or longer and is dragged to an area to which the hardware key is assigned.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined gesture corresponds to a drag input which has a predetermined second length or longer, and is dragged from an area to which the hardware key is assigned.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined area corresponds to one of regions divided along a lengthwise direction of a screen.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined area corresponds to an area which is allotted by dividing lengthwise the screen with respect to the hardware key by the number corresponding to the hardware key.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the hardware key comprises a menu key, a home key, and a back key.