METHODS AND DEVICES FOR SIMULTANEOUS MULTI-TOUCH INPUT

• US 20140215336A1
• Filed: 01/29/2013
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: GRDENFORS, Dan Zacharias, ALEXANDERSSON, Lars Oskar
• Granted Patent: US 9,535,503 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/719
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Methods and device for simultaneous multi-touch input on a touchscreen display are described. In one aspect, the present application describes a method implemented by a processor of an electronic device. The electronic device has a touchscreen display. The method includes detecting a first touch gesture on a first portion of the touchscreen display associated with a first control element and, during the first touch gesture, detecting a second touch gesture on a second portion of the touchscreen display associated with a second control element different from the first control element; and while detecting the first touch gesture and detecting the second touch gesture, simultaneously, causing a first event in the first portion of the touchscreen display in response to the first touch gesture, and causing a second event in the second portion of the touchscreen display in response to the second touch gesture.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a processor of an electronic device having a touchscreen display, the method comprising:

detecting a first touch gesture on a first portion of the touchscreen display associated with a first control element and, during the first touch gesture, detecting a second touch gesture on a second portion of the touchscreen display associated with a second control element different from the first control element; and

while detecting the first touch gesture and detecting the second touch gesture, simultaneously,

causing a first event in the first portion of the touchscreen display in response to the first touch gesture, and

causing a second event in the second portion of the touchscreen display in response to the second touch gesture.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first control element is associated with a first display page that is displayed on the first portion of the touchscreen display, and the second control element is associated with a second display page that is displayed on the second portion of the touchscreen display, and wherein the second touch gesture corresponds to a scrolling command to scroll the second display page, and wherein the second event includes scrolling the second display page.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first display page overlaps at least a portion of the second display page, and wherein the first touch gesture corresponds to a sliding command to slide the first display page from over the second display page to display at least a portion of the overlapped second display page, prior to detecting the scrolling command, and wherein the first event includes sliding the first display page from over the second display page to display at least the portion of the overlapped second display page.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first display page and the second display page are associated with an email application, the first display page defines a message and the second display page defines a message list associated with the message.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the first display page and the second display page are associated with a calendar application, the first display page defines a calendar event and the second display page defines a calendar associated with the calendar event.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the first display page and the second display page are associated with a presentation application, the first display page defines a presentation slide and the second display page defines a presentation slide list associated with the presentation slide.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the first display page and the second display page are associated with a contact manager application, the first display page defines a contact record and the second display page defines a contact list associated with the contact record.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the second display page includes one or more interface elements, and wherein the second touch gesture corresponds to a select command to select the one or more interface elements, and wherein the second event includes selecting the one or more interface elements.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first display page and the second display page are associated with a media player application, the first display page defines media content and the second display page defines one or more settings associated with the media content, the one or more settings are associated with the one or more interface elements, and wherein the selection of the one or more interface elements varies the one or more settings of the media content.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first display page and the second display page are associated with a video telephone application, the first display page defines video content and the second display page defines one or more settings associated with the video content, the one or more settings are associated with the one or more interface elements, and wherein the selection of the one or more interface elements varies the one or more settings of the video content.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first display page and the second display page are associated with a mapping application, the first display page defines a map and the second display page defines one or more options associated with the mapping application, the one or more options are associated with the one or more interface elements, and wherein the selection of the one or more interface elements initiates the one or more options.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first display page and the second display page are associated with a web browser, the first display page defines a web page and the second display page defines one or more options associated with the web browser, the one or more options are associated with the one or more interface elements, and wherein the selection of the one or more interface elements initiates the one or more options.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first control element is associated with a first display page that is displayed on the first portion of the touchscreen display, the first display page defines a first image, and the second control element is associated with a second display page that is displayed on the second portion of the touchscreen display, the second display page defines a second image, and wherein the first touch gesture corresponds to a first tagging command to associate a first tag with the first image, and the second touch gesture corresponds to a second tagging command to associate a second tag with the second image, and wherein the first event includes associating a first tag with the first image, and wherein the second event includes associating a second tag with the second image.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first touch gesture corresponds to a scrolling command to scroll the first display page to display the second display page on the second portion of the touchscreen display, after detecting the first tagging command, and wherein the first event includes scrolling the first display page to display the second display page on the second portion of the touchscreen display.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first control element is associated with a first display page that is displayed on the first portion of the touchscreen display, the first display page includes first content, and the second control element is associated with a second display page that is displayed on the second portion of the touchscreen display, the second display page includes second content, and wherein the first touch gesture corresponds to a select command to select at least a portion of the first content, and wherein the first event includes selecting the portion of the first content.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first touch gesture further corresponds to a copy command to copy the selected portion of the first content, and the second touch gesture corresponds to an insert command to insert the copied portion of the first content in the second content of the second display page, and wherein the first event includes copying the selected portion of the first content from the first display page, and wherein the second event includes inserting the copied portion of the first content in the second content of the second display page.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the first control element and the second control element are associated with a first display page that is displayed on the first portion and the second portion of the touchscreen display, the first display page includes one or more first interface elements on the first portion and one or more second interface elements on the second portion, the first display page defines an audio mixer page that includes one or more first settings and one or more second settings, the one or more first settings are associated with the one or more first interface elements, and the one or more second settings are associated with the one or more second interface elements, and wherein the first touch gesture corresponds to a first select command to select the one or more first interface elements, and the second touch gesture corresponds to a second select command to select the one or more second interface elements, and wherein the first event includes selecting the one or more first interface elements to vary the one or more first settings of the audio mixer page, and the second event includes selecting the one or more second interface elements to vary the one or more second settings of the audio mixer page.

18. An electronic device comprising:

a memory;

a touchscreen display; and

a processor coupled with the memory and the touchscreen display, the processor configured to;

detect a first touch gesture on a first portion of the touchscreen display associated with a first control element and, during the first touch gesture, detect a second touch gesture on a second portion of the touchscreen display associated with a second control element different from the first control element; and

while detecting the first touch gesture and detecting the second touch gesture, simultaneously,

cause a first event in the first portion of the touchscreen display in response to the first touch gesture, and

cause a second event in the second portion of the touchscreen display in response to the second touch gesture.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the first control element is associated with a first display page that is displayed on the first portion of the touchscreen display, and the second control element is associated with a second display page that is displayed on the second portion of the touchscreen display, and wherein the second touch gesture corresponds to a scrolling command to scroll the second display page and wherein the second event includes scrolling the second display page.

20. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions which, when executed, configure a processor to:

detect a first touch gesture on a first portion of a touchscreen display associated with a first control element and, during the first touch gesture, detect a second touch gesture on a second portion of the touchscreen display associated with a second control element different from the first control element; and

while detecting the first touch gesture and detecting the second touch gesture, simultaneously,

cause a first event in the first portion of the touchscreen display in response to the first touch gesture, and

cause a second event in the second portion of the touchscreen display in response to the second touch gesture.