APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING USER INTERFACE

• US 20150324070A1
• Filed: 05/06/2015
• Published: 11/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Ho, SEO, Jungeui, JEON, Hayoung, KWON, Zion, KIM, Hyewon, YANG, Changmo, CHUNG, Jinkyo, CHOI, Bonghak, CHOI, Joonhyuk
• Granted Patent: US 9,983,767 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An electronic apparatus and a method for providing a user interface are provided. The electronic apparatus includes a sensor module configured to detect sensor data, a touch screen configured to display a control menu related to content that is displayed, and a control module configured to determine a hand-held position of the electronic apparatus, based on the sensor data, to configure the control menu, based on the determined hand-held position, and to display the configured control menu, based on the determined hand-held position.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a sensor module configured to detect sensor data;

a touch screen configured to display a control menu related to content that is displayed; and

a control module configured to;

determine a hand-held position of the electronic apparatus, based on the sensor data;

configure the control menu, based on the determined hand-held position; and

control to display the configured control menu, based on the determined hand-held position.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor module is at least one of a gyro-sensor, an acceleration sensor, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor, an illuminance sensor, an image sensor, and an earth magnetic field sensor.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1,

wherein, if the determined hand-held position corresponds to a left hand, then the control module is further configured to configure a left-hand mode control menu, and

wherein, if the determined hand-held position corresponds to a right hand, then the control module is further configured to configure a right-hand mode control menu.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module is further configured to:

receive a touch input on the touch screen;

determines whether a touch position of the touch input belongs to a left area or a right area with respect to a central line of the touch screen;

if the determined hand-held position or the determined touch position belongs to the left area, configure a left-hand mode control menu to be displayed at the determined touch position; and

if the determined hand-held position or the determined touch position belongs to the right area, configure a right-hand mode control menu to be displayed at the determined touch position.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 4, wherein the control module is further configured to:

control to configure a display area, where the configured control menu is to be displayed, to be centered in the touch position; and

when a portion of the display area is included in a bezel area that surrounds a viewing area of the touch screen, display a portion of the configured control menu, which is included in the viewing area, on the touch screen.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 4, wherein the control module is further configured to:

control to change a size of the configured control menu, based on a size of the touch input; and

display a size-changed control menu on the touch screen.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 4, wherein, if the hand-held position belongs to a different area from an area of the touch position, then the control module is further configured to:

assign a priority to the determined hand-held position and the determined touch position; and

configure the control menu according to the priority assigned to the determined hand-held position and the determined touch position.

8. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when a touch input on the configured control menu moves to a bezel area that surrounds a viewing area of the touch screen, the control module is further configured to control to remove the configured control menu from the viewing area.

9. The electronic apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control module is further configured to control to display another control menu related to the content after removing the configured control menu.

10. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein, if no sensor data is detected, then the control module is further configured to control to display another control menu related to the content.

11. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the content that is displayed is one of text data, audio data and video data, such that items of the control menu are configured based on whether the displayed content is one of the text data, the audio data and the video data.

12. A method for providing a user interface in an electronic apparatus including a touch screen, the method comprising:

detecting, by the electronic apparatus, sensor data using a sensor;

determining a hand-held position of the electronic apparatus, based on the sensor data;

configuring a control menu related to content displayed on the touch screen, based on the determined hand-held position; and

displaying the configured control menu, based on the determined hand-held position.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the detecting of the sensor data comprises detecting the sensor data using at least one of a gyro-sensor, an acceleration sensor, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor, an illuminance sensor, an image sensor, and an earth magnetic field sensor.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the configuring of the control menu comprises:

if the determined hand-held position corresponds to a left hand, then configuring a left-hand mode control menu; and

if the determined hand-held position corresponds to a right hand, then configuring a right-hand mode control menu.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a touch input on the touch screen;

determining whether a touch position of the touch input belongs to a left area or a right area with respect to a central line of the touch screen;

if the determined hand-held position or the determined touch position belongs to the left area, then configuring a left-hand mode control menu;

if the determined hand-held position or the determined touch position belongs to the right area, then configuring a right-hand mode control menu; and

displaying one of the left-hand mode control menu and the right-hand mode control menu at the determined touch position.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the displaying of the one of the left-hand mode control menu and the right-hand mode control menu at the determined touch position comprises:

configuring a display area, where the configured control menu is to be displayed, to be centered in the touch position; and

when a portion of the display area is included in a bezel area that surrounds a viewing area of the touch screen, displaying a portion of the configured control menu, which is included in the viewing area, on the touch screen.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the displaying of the one of the left-hand mode control menu and the right-hand mode control menu at the determined touch position comprises:

changing a size of the configured control menu, based on a size of the touch input; and

displaying a size-changed control menu on the touch screen.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the configuring of the control menu comprises:

if the hand-held position belongs to a different area from an area of the touch position, then assigning a priority to the determined hand-held position and the determined touch position; and

configuring the control menu according to the priority assigned to the determined hand-held position and the determined touch position.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising, when a touch input on the configured control menu moves to a bezel area that surrounds a viewing area of the touch screen, removing the configured control menu from the viewing area.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising displaying another control menu related to the content displayed on the touch screen after removing the configured control menu.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising, if no sensor data is detected, then displaying another control menu related to the content displayed on the touch screen.