CONTROL METHOD AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20160077707A1
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Company Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Company Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Guo, Cheng
• Granted Patent: US 10,761,678 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/08 Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

A control method and an electronic device are provided. The electronic device includes a housing, a display screen and K inputting apparatuses. The display screen is fixed in the housing and a display output area of the display screen is visible through a first surface of the housing. The K inputting apparatuses are fixed in the housing and an operation surface of each of the K inputting apparatuses is exposed through a lateral surface of the housing. The electronic device is adapted to control the display screen to display M indicating icons on a periphery of the display output area. The electronic device is adapted to acquire, via the operation surface, the input operation at a first operation position on the operation surface, and perform a first function represented by a first indicating icon corresponding to the first operation position in response to the input operation.

Claims

1. A control method, comprising:

controlling a display screen of an electronic device to display M indicating icons with respect to a plurality of inputting apparatus arranged on the electronic device, wherein M is a positive integer equal to or greater than 1;

acquiring an input operation inputted via a first inputting apparatus of the plurality of inputting apparatus, wherein the input operation relates to a first function that corresponds to a first indicating icon; and

performing the first function, in response to the input operation.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein

the indicating icons are provided on a periphery of the display screen;

the number of the indicating icons varies with display interfaces displayed on the display screen; and

/or

the function represented by the indicating icon varies with display interfaces displayed on the display screen.

3. The control method according to claim 2, wherein the controlling a display screen of an electronic device to display M indicating icons comprises:

controlling the display screen to display the M indicating icons on the periphery of the display screen, wherein the M indicating icons correspond to control instructions to instruct the electronic device to perform N functions, where M and N are positive integers and M≧

N≧

1;

acquiring position information of an operation surface of the display screen; and

determining an operation position of the operation surface of the display screen, based on the position information of the operation surface of the display screen and the display position of the indicating icon on the periphery of the display screen, wherein the operation position corresponds to a display position of one of the M indicating icons on the periphery of the display screen.

4. The control method according to claim 2, wherein before the controlling the display screen of the electronic device to display M indicating icons, the control method further comprises:

acquiring a call instruction; and

starting an application corresponding to the call instruction and displaying the display interface corresponding to the application in the display output area, in response to the call instruction, wherein the M indicating icons are displayed in the display interface.

5. The control method according to claim 2, wherein before the controlling the display screen of the electronic device to display M indicating icons, the control method further comprises:

acquiring a trigger instruction through any one of the operation surfaces of the K inputting apparatus,

wherein the controlling the display screen of the electronic device to display M indicating icons comprises;

controlling the display screen to display the M indicating icons on the periphery of the display screen in response to the trigger instruction.

6. The control method according to claim 3, wherein

the controlling the display screen to display the M indicating icons on the periphery of the display screen, wherein the M indicating icons corresponds to control instructions to instruct the electronic device to perform N functions comprises:

controlling the display screen to display a first indicating icon and a second indicating icon on the periphery of the display screen, with the first indicating icon and the second indicating icon corresponding to one first function;

the acquiring, via the operation surface of the display screen, the input operation comprises;

acquiring, via the operation surface of the display screen, both the input operation at the first operation position and an input operation at a second operation position simultaneously at a time instant T1; and

the performing the first function, in response to the input operation comprises;

controlling the electronic device to perform the first function corresponding to both the first indicating icon and the second indicating icon, based on the input operation.

7. An electronic device, comprising:

a display screen;

a plurality of inputting apparatus arranged with respect to the display screen, wherein the display screen is operable to display M indicating icons, wherein M is a positive integer equal to or greater than 1; and

a processor adapted to acquire an input operation inputted via a first inputting apparatus of the plurality of inputting apparatus, the input operation relating to a first function that corresponds to a first indicating icon; and

to perform the first function in response to the input operation.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, comprising:

a housing and a fixing device, wherein the display screen is fixed in the housing, a display output area of the display screen is visible through a first surface of the housing, the plurality of inputting apparatuses are fixed in the housing, an operation surface of each of the inputting apparatuses is exposed through a lateral surface of the housing, the fixing device is connected to the housing, and the fixing device is adapted to fix the electronic device to a support.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of inputting apparatus comprise a plurality of keys, touch sensing units, pressure sensors or voice modules.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the processor is adapted to:

control the display screen to display the M indicating icons on the periphery of the display output area;

acquire position information on the operation surface exposed through the lateral surface of the housing; and

determine an operation position on the operation surface exposed through the lateral surface of the housing, based on the position information on the operation surface exposed through the lateral surface of the housing and the display position of the indicating icon on the periphery of the display output area, wherein the operation position corresponds to a display position of one of the M indicating icons on the periphery of the display output area, and the M indicating icons corresponding to control instructions to instruct the electronic device to perform N functions, wherein M and N are positive integers and M≧

N≧

1.

11. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the processor is further adapted to

acquire a call instruction;

and

start an application corresponding to the call instruction and display the display interface corresponding to the application in the display output area, in response to the call instruction, wherein the M indicating icons are displayed in the display interface.

12. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the processor is further adapted to:

acquire a trigger instruction through any one of the operation surfaces of the K inputting apparatuses; and

control the display screen to display the M indicating icons on the periphery of the display output area in response to the trigger instruction.

13. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the processor is adapted to:

control the display screen to display a first indicating icon and a second indicating icon on the periphery of the display output area, with both the first indicating icon and the second indicating icon corresponding to the first function;

acquire, via the operation surface exposed through the lateral surface of the housing, both the input operation at the first operation position and an input operation at a second operation position on the operation surface simultaneously at a time instant T1; and

control the electronic device to perform the first function corresponding to both the first indicating icon and the second indicating icon, based on the input operation.