INFORMATION TERMINAL, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING INPUT ACCEPTANCE, AND PROGRAM FOR CONTROLLING INPUT ACCEPTANCE

• US 20150035776A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Shunsaku, Yamazaki, Yuika, Ota, Tomohiro, Shimosaka, Tomoki
• Application Number:
  US14/387,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20150035776A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An information terminal has: a gaze determination unit 13 for determining whether user'"'"'s gaze detected by a gaze detection unit is directed toward a display; and a touch input control unit for performing such control that when the gaze is directed toward the display, an input operation on the touch panel is made acceptable and that when the gaze is not directed toward the display, the input operation on the touch panel is made unacceptable. By this, acceptance/unacceptance of input can be readily controlled, without need for a user'"'"'s special operation or a lapse of a fixed period of time.

Claims

1. An information terminal having a display with a function as a touch panel and an imaging device, comprising:

a detection unit configured to detect user'"'"'s gaze, based on a face image of a user taken by the imaging device;

a determination unit configured to determine whether the user is in a display gazing state in which the gaze detected by the detection unit is directed toward the display; and

a control unit configured to perform such control that when it is determined by the determination unit that the user is in the display gazing state, an input operation on the touch panel is made acceptable and that when it is determined by the determination unit that the user is not in the display gazing state, the input operation on the touch panel is made unacceptable.

2. The information terminal according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit performs such control that,

when it is determined by the determination unit that the user is not in the display gazing state and when a time since release from the display gazing state exceeds a first predetermined time, the input operation on the touch panel is made unacceptable.

3. The information terminal according to claim 2,

wherein the control unit performs such control that,

when it is determined by the determination unit that the user is not in the display gazing state, when the time since the release from the display gazing state is within the first predetermined time, and when no input operation on the touch panel is detected in a second predetermined time since the release from the display gazing state, the input operation on the touch panel is made unacceptable.

4. The information terminal according to claim 3,

wherein the control unit performs such control that,

when it is determined by the determination unit that the user is not in the display gazing state, when the time since the release from the display gazing state is within the first predetermined time, and when the input operation on the touch panel is detected in the second predetermined time since the release from the display gazing state, only a predetermined input operation, out of a plurality of types of input operations on the touch panel, is made acceptable.

5. A method for controlling input acceptance in an information terminal having a display with a function as a touch panel, the method comprising:

a detection step of detecting user'"'"'s gaze;

a determination step of determining whether a user is in a display gazing state in which the gaze detected in the detection step is directed toward the display; and

a control step of performing such control that when it is determined in the determination step that the user is in the display gazing state, an input operation on the touch panel is made acceptable and that when it is determined in the determination step that the user is not in the display gazing state, the input operation on the touch panel is made unacceptable.

6. (canceled)