PORTABLE ELECTRONIC APPARATUS, AND A METHOD OF CONTROLLING A USER INTERFACE THEREOF

• US 20150212591A1
• Filed: 04/06/2015
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Strom, Jacob
• Application Number:
  US14/679,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20150212591A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A portable electronic apparatus has a display, keypad, sensor and controller. Keys of the keypad are distributed within a keypad area in at least a first plane and are arranged for user actuation transversally to the first plane to provide a first type of user input. The sensor is positioned to sense navigating user actuation at the keypad area in or coincident with the first plane to provide a second type of user input. The controller is configured to control a focus position on the display in response to the second type of user input; associate a plurality of display subareas of the display with respective keys of the keypad; and accept, for user input of the second type, user actuation of an actuated key among the keys as a selection of a selectable item presented at the focus position in a particular display subarea associated with the actuated key.

Claims

1. A portable electronic apparatus comprising a controller configured to:

interact with a keypad and a display associated with the portable electronic apparatus, the keypad having a plurality of keys within a keypad area;

associate a display subarea of the display with a key of the plurality of keys;

accept key-pressing user actuation of said key of the plurality of keys as a selection of a selectable item presented at said display subarea;

control a focus position on the display in response to navigating user actuation at the keypad area; and

command an operation on contents displayed on the display in response to a multi-touch gesture at the keypad area, said multi-touch gesture involving at least two fingers of a user being at the keypad area at the same time.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises the keypad.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the keypad has a full QWERTY or compact QWERTY layout.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the keypad has interface circuitry configured to detect user input associated with at least one of said key-pressing user actuation, said navigating user actuation and said multi-touch gesture and to provide said detected input to said controller.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said interface circuitry forms part of said keypad.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said interface circuitry comprises key-press interface circuitry configured to detect user input associated with said key-pressing user actuation and to provide said detected user input associated with said key-pressing user actuation to said controller.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said interface circuitry comprises touch-sensitive interface circuitry configured to detect user input associated with said navigating user actuation and to provide said detected user input associated with said navigating user actuation to said controller.

8. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said interface circuitry comprises key-press interface circuitry configured to detect user input associated with said multi-touch gesture and to provide said detected user input associated with said multi-touch gesture to said controller.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises the display.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the focus position on the display in response to navigating user actuation in any given direction at the keypad area.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to indicate said focus position in the form of a graphical marker symbol on the display.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to command an in-zooming operation on contents displayed on the display in response to a pinching multi-touch gesture at the keypad area.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to command an out-zooming operation on contents displayed on the display in response to an unpinching multi-touch gesture at the keypad area.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selectable item is presented as at least one of an icon, button, link or thumbnail.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to graphically present a boundary of said display subarea on said display.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to accept a selecting voice control command as a selection of the selectable item presented at said display subarea.

17. A portable electronic apparatus comprising a controller configured to:

interact with a keypad and a display associated with the portable electronic apparatus, the keypad having a plurality of keys in a full QWERTY or compact QWERTY layout within a keypad area;

associate a display subarea of the display with a key of the plurality of keys;

accept key-pressing user actuation of said key of the plurality of keys as a selection of a selectable item presented at said display subarea; and

control a focus position on the display in response to navigating user actuation at the keypad area.

18. A portable electronic apparatus comprising a controller configured to:

interact with a keypad and a display associated with the portable electronic apparatus, the keypad having a plurality of keys in a full QWERTY or compact QWERTY layout within a keypad area;

associate a display subarea of the display with a key of the plurality of keys;

accept key-pressing user actuation of said key of the plurality of keys as a selection of a selectable item presented at said display subarea; and

command an operation on contents displayed on the display in response to a multi-touch gesture at the keypad area.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said multi-touch gesture involves at least two fingers of a user being at the keypad area at the same time.