METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ADJUSTING AND MOVING A USER INTERFACE FOR SINGLE HANDED USE ON AN ENDPOINT DEVICE

• US 20150234581A1
• Filed: 02/17/2014
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Terrero, Carlos M., Irizarry, Roberto A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,851,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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: H04M 1/0281 for providing single handed use or left/right hand conversion
• 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 method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and apparatus for adjusting and moving a user interface for single handed use on an endpoint device are disclosed. For example, the method determines a thumb span of a hand of a user on a touch screen display of the endpoint device, detects via one or more sensors on the endpoint device that the user is holding the endpoint device with a single hand, adjusting a size of the user interface to be within dimensions of the thumb span in response to the detecting and moves the user interface in a direction towards the single hand in response to the detecting.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting and moving a user interface for single handed use on an endpoint device, comprising:

determining, by a processor, a thumb span of a hand of a user on a touch screen display of the endpoint device;

detecting, by the processor, via one or more sensors on the endpoint device that the user is holding the endpoint device with a single hand;

adjusting, by the processor, a size of the user interface to be within dimensions of the thumb span in response to the detecting; and

moving, by the processor, the user interface in a direction towards the single hand in response to the detecting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the thumb span comprises:

receiving, by the processor, an input by a thumb of the hand of the user on a plurality of different points on the touch screen display of the endpoint device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting further comprises detecting whether the user is holding the endpoint device with a left hand of the user or a right hand of the user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a capacitive sensor array on each side of the endpoint device to determine the user is holding the endpoint device with the left hand or the right hand based upon which side has a non-continuous contact of consecutive sensors of the capacitive sensor array and which side has continuous contact of consecutive sensors of the capacitive sensor array.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more sensors comprises a first temperature sensor on a first side of the endpoint device and a second temperature sensor on a second side of the endpoint device to determine the user is holding the endpoint device with the left hand or the right hand based upon a temperature differential between the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more sensors comprise an optical sensor on each side of the endpoint device to determine the user is holding the endpoint device with the left hand or the right hand based upon which side has a covers the optical sensor and which side does not cover the optical sensor.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a pressure sensor on each side of the endpoint device to determine the user is holding the endpoint device with the left hand or the right hand based upon a pressure differential between each side of the endpoint device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting the size comprises reducing a width of the user interface to be within the dimensions of the thumb span.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting the size comprises reducing a height of the user interface to be within the dimensions of the thumb span.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the user interface that is adjusted displays each one of a plurality of objects that is displayed on an originally sized user interface.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises:

adjusting, by the processor, a size of each one of the plurality of objects that is displayed; and

adjusting, by the processor, a size of a touch area associated with the each one of the plurality of objects that is displayed.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving the user interface comprises moving the user interface towards a right thumb of the user or a left thumb of the user based on whether the single hand is a right hand or a left hand.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for adjusting and moving a user interface for single handed use on an endpoint device, the operations comprising:

determining a thumb span of a hand of a user on a touch screen display of the endpoint device;

detecting via one or more sensors on the endpoint device that the user is holding the endpoint device with a single hand;

adjusting a size of the user interface to be within dimensions of the thumb span in response to the detecting; and

moving the user interface in a direction towards the single hand in response to the detecting.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the determining the thumb span comprises:

receiving an input by a thumb of the hand of the user on a plurality of different points on the touch screen display of the endpoint device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the detecting further comprises detecting whether the user is holding the endpoint device with a left hand of the user or a right hand of the user.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a capacitive sensor array on each side of the endpoint device to determine the user is holding the endpoint device with the left hand or the right hand based upon which side has a non-continuous contact of consecutive sensors of the capacitive sensor array and which side has continuous contact of consecutive sensors of the capacitive sensor array.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more sensors comprises a first temperature sensor on a first side of the endpoint device and a second temperature sensor on a second side of the endpoint device to determine the user is holding the endpoint device with the left hand or the right hand based upon a temperature differential between the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more sensors comprise an optical sensor on each side of the endpoint device to determine the user is holding the endpoint device with the left hand or the right hand based upon which side has a covers the optical sensor and which side does not cover the optical sensor.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more sensors comprise a pressure sensor on each side of the endpoint device to determine the user is holding the endpoint device with the left hand or the right hand based upon a pressure differential between each side of the endpoint device.

20. A method for adjusting and moving a user interface for single handed use on an endpoint device, comprising:

determining, by a processor, a thumb span of a hand of a user on a touch screen display of the endpoint device by receiving an input by a thumb of the user on a plurality of different points on the touch screen display while the user is holding the endpoint device in a same position as the thumb moves to the plurality of different points on the touch screen display, wherein a size of the touch screen display is larger than the thumb span of the user;

detecting, by the processor, via one or more sensors on the endpoint device that the user is holding the endpoint device with a single hand;

detecting, by the processor, via the one or more sensors whether the single hand is a right hand or a left hand of the user;

reducing, by the processor, a size of the user interface to be within dimensions of the thumb span in response to the detecting; and

moving, by the processor, the user interface in a direction towards the single hand in response to the detecting.