ELECTRONIC APPARATUS EQUIPPED WITH A TOUCH OPERATION SECTION

• US 20160259543A1
• Filed: 02/18/2016
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: ISHIHARA, Masanori
• Granted Patent: US 10,592,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1675 Miscellaneous details related to the relative movement between the different enclosures or enclosure parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

In order to achieve comfortable operations while appropriately preventing incorrect operations by unintentional touch operations on a touch operation section, when a touch operation performed on the touch operation section such as a selfie pad is a predetermined touch operation such as a double tap operation different from a touch operation such as a single tap or slide operation for giving an instruction to perform a predetermined function, switching is performed between a first state that is a selfie pad restricted state for restricting the predetermined function capable of being performed by the touch operation on the selfie pad and a second state that is a selfie pad restriction released state for releasing the restriction of the predetermined function.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus equipped with a touch operation section, comprising:

a processor that is configured to;

judge a type of a touch operation performed on the touch operation section;

perform switching between a first state where a predetermined function capable of being performed by the touch operation performed on the touch operation section is restricted and a second state where restriction of the predetermined function is released; and

control to perform switching between the first state and the second state when the touch operation is judged as a predetermined touch operation of a type different from a type of a touch operation for giving an instruction to perform the predetermined function.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor (i) performs first detection to detect, as a first touch operation, the predetermined touch operation of the type different from the type of the touch operation for giving an instruction to perform the predetermined function, (ii) performs second detection to detect, as a second touch operation, the touch operation for giving an instruction to perform the predetermined function, and (iii) judges the type of the touch operation by performing the first detection in the first state and by performing the first detection and the second detection in the second state.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor (i) selects a predetermined function capable of being performed by the touch operation for giving an instruction to perform the predetermined function in the second state from among a plurality of functions, and (ii) performs the selected function in the second state.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first touch operation includes plural types of first touch operations, and

wherein the processor (i) further judges a type of a first touch operation performed when the first state is switched to the second state, (ii) sets a predetermined function to be performed in accordance with the second touch operation in the second state for each of the types of the first touch operations, and (iii) performs the set predetermined function in accordance with the judged type of the first touch operation when the second touch operation is detected in the second state.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processor judges the type of the first touch operation based on a positional difference of the touch operation on the touch operation section.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processor (i) further judges a type of a first touch operation performed in the second state, (ii) compares the judged type of the first touch operation with the type of the first operation judged at time of switching from the first state to the second state, when the first touch operation is detected in the second state, and (iii) controls to switch to the first state when the first touch operations are of a same type, or to switch a function to be performed by the second operation to the set function associated with the type of the first touch operation while keeping the second state, when the first touch operations are of different types.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a part of the plurality of selectable functions can be operated only by the touch operation section, and remaining ones of the functions can be operated by the touch operation section and another operation section.

8. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor controls to display on a display section an identifier allowing the first state and the second state to be identified.

9. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor controls such that a different sampling period for detecting a touch operation performed on the touch operation section is set for each of the first state and the second state.

10. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic apparatus is a portable electronic apparatus, and the touch operation section is arranged on a side surface of a housing of the portable electronic apparatus so as to come in contact with a part of a body of a user when the user viewing a display section holds the housing of the portable electronic apparatus.

11. The electronic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the housing of the portable electronic apparatus includes a main body block including the display section and a frame block rotatably attached to one end of the main body block, and

wherein the touch operation section is arranged on a side surface of the frame block.

12. An electronic apparatus equipped with a touch operation section, comprising:

a processor that is configured to;

detect a touch operation performed on the touch operation section; and

control such that instruction operations can be performed by a plurality of operation methods including;

a first operation method of performing an instruction operation by a first touch operation having a lower possibility of causing an incorrect operation than a second touch operation that is a normal touch operation, among various touch operations to be detected;

a second operation method of performing an instruction operation by the second touch operation; and

a third operation method of performing an instruction operation by the second touch operation after making the second touch operation effective by performing the first touch operation.

13. The electronic apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processor controls such that a plurality of operation methods are selectable from among the first operation method, the second operation method and the third operation method, as instruction operations for a same function.

14. The electronic apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the touch operation section is provided on a position different from a position of a display section.

15. The electronic apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processor controls such that a fourth operation method and a fifth operation method are selectable,

wherein the fourth operation method makes the second operation method effective by the first operation method and then makes the second operation method ineffective again by the first operation method, and

wherein the fifth operation method makes the second operation method effective by the first operation method and then automatically makes the second operation method ineffective after a predetermined time has elapsed.

16. The electronic apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the electronic apparatus is a portable electronic apparatus and the touch operation section is arranged on a position where a user holding a housing of the portable electronic apparatus with one hand can operate the touch operation section with the hand holding the housing while viewing a display section.

17. The electronic apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the housing of the portable electronic apparatus includes a main body block including the display section and a frame block rotatably attached to one end of the main body block, and

wherein the touch operation section is arranged on a side surface of the frame block.

18. The electronic apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processor selects a predetermined function capable of being selected by a touch operation in the second state from among a plurality of functions,

wherein a part of the plurality of selectable functions can be operated only by the touch operation section, and remaining ones of the functions can be operated by the touch operation section and another operation section.

19. A touch operation control method for an electronic apparatus equipped with a touch operation section, comprising:

judging a type of a touch operation performed on the touch operation section;

performing switching between a first state where a predetermined function capable of being performed by the touch operation performed on the touch operation section is restricted and a second state where restriction of the predetermined function is released; and

controlling to perform switching between the first state and the second state when the touch operation is judged as a predetermined touch operation of a type different from a type of a touch operation for giving an instruction to perform the predetermined function.