GESTURE INPUT DISTINGUISHING METHOD AND APPARATUS IN TOUCH INPUT DEVICE

• US 20140218315A1
• Filed: 11/19/2013
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: JEONG, Hyuk
• Application Number:
  US14/083,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20140218315A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A gesture input distinguishing method and apparatus are provided. The gesture input distinguishing method and apparatus provide a method of distinguishably inputting a gesture related to a touch and drag on a touch screen according to patterns.

Claims

1. A gesture input distinguishing method comprising:

counting a number of touches generated on a screen of a terminal that provides a graphic user interface (GUI);

converting the terminal into a gesture input mode when the number of touches is reduced to one; and

executing a command corresponding to the reduced number of touches according to conversion into the gesture input mode.

2. The gesture input distinguishing method of claim 1, wherein the converting comprises:

converting into the gesture input mode when the number of touches is reduced from at least two to one within a predetermined time.

3. The gesture input distinguishing method of claim 1, wherein the executing of the command comprises:

recognizing a first spot in which the touch is generated;

identifying a position path from the first spot to a second spot in which the touch is ended;

analyzing a pattern of the position path; and

extracting a first gesture command corresponding to the pattern from a database (DB) and executing the first gesture command.

4. The gesture input distinguishing method of claim 3, wherein the executing of the command further comprising:

extracting the first gesture command from the DB by further considering the number of touches.

5. The gesture input distinguishing method of claim 3, wherein the analyzing of the pattern comprises:

analyzing the pattern by considering a gesture of a user according to a shape of the position path.

6. The gesture input distinguishing method of claim 3, wherein the analyzing of the pattern comprises:

analyzing the pattern by considering at least one of a number of inflection points and a direction change of the position path.

7. The gesture input distinguishing method of claim 6, wherein the analyzing of the pattern comprises:

executing a second gesture command set instead of the first gesture command when the inflection point and the direction change of the position path are absent.

8. The gesture input distinguishing method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing a command corresponding to a touch and drag without converting into the gesture input mode when the number of touches is maintained to n which is a natural number equal to or greater than two.

9. A gesture input distinguishing apparatus comprising:

a counter to count a number of touches generated on a screen of a terminal that provides a graphic user interface (GUI);

a mode converter to convert the terminal into a gesture input mode when the number of touches is reduced to one; and

a command executor to execute a command corresponding to the reduced number of touches according to conversion into the gesture input mode.

10. The gesture input distinguishing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the mode converter converts into the gesture input mode when the number of touches is reduced from at least two to one within a predetermined time.

11. The gesture input distinguishing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the command executor comprises:

a touch recognition unit to recognize a first spot in which the touch is generated;

a position path identifying unit to identify a position path from the first spot to a second spot in which the touch is ended;

a pattern analysis unit to analyze a pattern of the position path; and

a command execution unit to extract a first gesture command corresponding to the pattern from a database (DB) and execute the first gesture command.

12. The gesture input distinguishing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the command execution unit extracts the first gesture command from the DB by further considering the number of touches.

13. The gesture input distinguishing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the pattern analysis unit analyzes the pattern by considering a gesture of a user according to a shape of the position path.

14. The gesture input distinguishing apparatus of claim 11, wherein the pattern analysis unit analyzes the pattern by considering at least one of a number of inflection points and a direction change of the position path.

15. The gesture input distinguishing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the pattern analysis unit executes a second gesture command set instead of the first gesture command when the inflection point and the direction change of the position path are absent.

16. The gesture input distinguishing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the command execution unit executes a command corresponding to a touch and drag without converting into the gesture input mode when the number of touches is maintained to n which is a natural number equal to or greater than two.