METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING ELECTRONIC DEVICE USING TOUCH INPUT

• US 20160077620A1
• Filed: 06/24/2015
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Sun-kee, CHEONG, Cheol-Ho, CHOI, Bo-Kun, Cho, Joon-Young, JEONG, Jin-Hong
• Granted Patent: US 9,823,762 B2
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An electronic device for controlling at least one function based on a user input, and a control method for the electronic device are provided. According to various example embodiments, an electronic device that operates based on a user input may acquire a gesture through an input area of a display unit functionally connected to the electronic device. The electronic device may perform at least one function of the electronic device, based on various variables (for example, a time period for which the gesture is sensed, a size of an area in which the gesture is sensed, a direction in which the gesture moves, or intensity at which the gesture is sensed, through the input area) corresponding to the acquired gesture. Various other example embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A control method for an electronic device, comprising:

determining an input area of a display unit functionally connected to the electronic device, the input area corresponding to a first gesture acquired through the display unit;

determining a second gesture through at least one part of the input area; and

controlling at least one function of the electronic device according to at least one of a time period for which the second gesture is sensed, a size of an area in which the second gesture is sensed, intensity at which the second gesture is sensed, or a movement direction in which the first gesture moves relative to the second gesture, in the at least one part of the input area.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein determining the input area comprises determining the input area based on the first gesture, if the first gesture is maintained for a predetermined time period.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein controlling the at least one function of the electronic device comprises:

controlling the at least one function of the electronic device to a first degree, if the time period, the size of the area, the movement direction, or the intensity is a first time period, a first size of an area, a first movement direction, or first intensity; and

controlling the at least one function of the electronic device to a second degree, if the time period, the size of the area, the movement direction, or the intensity is a second time period, a second size, a second movement direction, or second intensity.

4. The control method according to claim 1, wherein controlling the at least one function of the electronic device comprises:

determining whether text is displayed on the display unit; and

selecting a word, a sentence, or a paragraph from the text, based on at least one of the time period, the size of the area, the intensity, or the movement direction.

5. The control method according to claim 1, wherein controlling the at least one function of the electronic device comprises:

zooming in/out content of an application to a first degree if the time period is a first time period; and

zooming in/out the content to a second degree if the time period is a second time period.

6. The control method according to claim 1, wherein controlling the at least one function of the electronic device comprises:

moving a menu or content of an application in a first direction if the movement direction is a first movement direction; and

moving the menu or the content in a second direction if the movement direction is a second movement direction.

7. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the display unit includes a first sub area and a second sub area, and

controlling the at least one function of the electronic device comprises:

performing a first function as the function if the second gesture is acquired from the first sub area; and

performing a second function as the function if the second gesture is acquired from the second sub area.

8. The control method according to claim 1, wherein controlling the at least one function of the electronic device comprises determining a direction of a user'"'"'s line of sight with respect to the electronic device, based on the determined first gesture or the determined second gesture.

9. The control method according to claim 8, wherein determining the direction of the user'"'"'s line of sight comprises:

displaying an object that is to be output through the display unit, in a first direction, if the direction of the user'"'"'s line of sight is a first direction of a line of sight; and

displaying the object in a second direction, if the direction of the user'"'"'s line of sight is a second direction of a line of sight.

10. An electronic device comprising:

a display unit configured to acquire at least one gesture; and

an input control module functionally connected to the display unit,

wherein the input control module;

determines an input area of the display unit, the input area corresponding to a first gesture acquired through the display unit;

determines a second gesture through at least one part of the input area; and

controls at least one function of the electronic device, according to at least one of a time period for which the second gesture is sensed, a size of an area in which the second gesture is sensed, intensity at which the second gesture is sensed, or a movement direction in which the first gesture moves relative to the second gesture, in the at least one area of the input area.

11. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the input control module controls the at least one function of the electronic device to a first degree, if the time period, the size of the area, the movement direction, or the intensity is a first time period, a first size of an area, a first movement direction, or first intensity;

and

controls the at least one function of the electronic device to a second degree, if the time period, the size of the area, the movement direction, or the intensity is a second time period, a second size of an area, a second movement direction, or second intensity.

12. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the input control module is configured to display a cursor corresponding to the first gesture in at least one area of the display unit.

13. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the input control module is configured to:

move the cursor in a first direction of the display unit if the movement direction is a first movement direction; and

move the cursor in a second direction of the display unit if the movement direction is a second movement direction.

14. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the input control module is configured to display the input area as a user interface on the display unit.

15. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the input control module adjusts speed at which a function of an application of the electronic device is controlled, based on the at least one of the time period, the size of the area, the intensity, or the movement direction.

16. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the input control module stops controlling the function, or restores controlled function to a previous state before the function has been adjusted if the second gesture corresponds to the first gesture.

17. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the input control module is configured to control scroll speed, page turning speed, or zoom in/out speed, based on the time period.

18. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the input control module is configured to rotate content of an application in at least one direction of a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction, based on the movement direction.

19. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the input control module is configured to adjust the volume of the electronic device or an application, based on the movement direction.

20. A computer-readable recording medium recording a program for executing at least one operation in a storage medium storing commands, the commands enabling at least one processor to perform the at least one operation when the commands are executed by the at least one processor, wherein the at least one operation comprises:

determining, at an electronic device, an input area of a display unit functionally connected to the electronic device, the input area corresponding to a first gesture acquired through the display unit;

determining a second gesture through at least one part of the input area; and

controlling at least one function of the electronic device, according to at least one of a time period for which the second gesture is sensed, a size of an area in which the second gesture is sensed, intensity at which the second gesture is sensed, or a movement direction in which the first gesture moves relative to the second gesture, in the at least one part of the input area.