ADJUSTING TAP POSITION ON TOUCH SCREEN

• US 20170039076A1
• Filed: 04/30/2014
• Published: 02/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: KURABAYASHI, Shuichi
• Application Number:
  US15/303,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20170039076A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Technologies are generally described for adjusting a tap position on a display screen of an application running on an electronic device. Example devices/systems described herein may use one or more of a probability calculator, a tap detector, a tap position adjustor and/or an area map database (DB). In various examples, an electronic device may determine tap probabilities for one or more user interface (UI) components of the application by the probability calculator. The tap detector may detect a user'"'"'s tap position on at least one of the UI components. Further, the tap position adjustor may adjust the tap position based on the tap probabilities. An area map may be generated to define clickable areas on the display screen corresponding to the one or more UI components, and may be stored in the area map DB which may be shared with some other electronic devices through a cloud system.

Claims

1. A method to adjust a tap position on a display screen of an application in an electronic device, the method comprising:

determining tap probabilities for one or more user interface (UI) components of the application;

detecting a user'"'"'s tap position on at least one of the UI components; and

adjusting the tap position based on the determined tap probabilities.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the tap probabilities comprises:

recording frequencies of taps on the one or more UI components; and

dividing each frequency of taps by a sum of the frequencies of taps.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the tap probabilities further comprises recording frequencies of cancellation of the adjusting of the tap position on the at least one of the UI components.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the tap probabilities comprises associating a screen state identifier (ID) of the application with the tap probabilities.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the user'"'"'s tap position comprises:

detecting a first position at which the user starts touching on the display screen;

detecting a second position at which the user ends touching on the display screen; and

determining a center of gravity for the first and second positions as the user'"'"'s tap position.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein adjusting the tap position comprises:

identifying one or more UI components that overlap with an area that encloses the first and second positions and having its center of gravity at the user'"'"'s tap position;

calculating distance vectors between centers of the identified UI components and the tap position, the distance vectors being weighted by tap probabilities for the identified UI components; and

adjusting the tap position to a center of gravity for the distance vectors.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

canceling the adjusting of the tap position in response to detection of an input to cancel the adjusting of the tap position.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores a program operable by the electronic device to perform the method of claim 5.

8. An electronic device configured to adjust a tap position on a display screen of an application, the electronic device comprising:

a probability calculator configured to determine tap probabilities for one or more user interface (UI) components of the application;

a tap detector coupled to the probability calculator and configured to detect a user'"'"'s tap position on at least one of the UI components; and

a tap position adjustor coupled to the probability calculator and to the tap detector and configured to adjust the tap position based on the determined tap probabilities.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the probability calculator is configured to record frequencies of taps on the one or more UI components and determine the tap probabilities by division of each frequency of taps by a sum of the frequencies of taps.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the probability calculator is further configured to record frequencies of cancellation of the adjustment of the tap position on the at least one of the UI components.

11. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the probability calculator is further configured to associate a screen state identifier (ID) of the application with the tap probabilities.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the screen state ID comprises a uniform resource locator (URL).

13. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the tap detector is configured to:

detect a first position at which the user starts a touch on the display screen;

detect a second position at which the user ends the touch on the display screen; and

determine a center of gravity for the first and second positions as the user'"'"'s tap position.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the tap position adjustor is configured to:

identify one or more UI components that overlap with an area that encloses the first and second positions and having its center of gravity at the user'"'"'s tap position;

calculate distance vectors between centers of the identified UI components and the tap position, the distance vectors being weighted by the tap probabilities for identified UI components; and

adjust the tap position to a center of gravity for the distance vectors.

15. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the tap position adjustor is further configured to cancel the adjustment of the tap position in response to detection of an input to cancel the adjustment of the tap position.

16. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the application includes a web browser and the tap position adjustor includes a JavaScript module installed in the web browser.

18. A system configured to adjust a tap position on a display screen of an electronic device, the system comprising:

a probability calculator configured to determine a tap probability for one or more user interface (UI) components presented on the display screen;

a tap detector coupled to the probability calculator and configured to detect a tap position on at least one of the UI components;

a tap position adjustor coupled to the probability calculator and to the tap detector and configured to adjust the tap position based on the determined tap probability and based on the detected tap position; and

an area map database (DB) coupled to the probability calculator and configured to store an area map that defines clickable areas on the display screen corresponding to the one or more UI components, wherein the area map DB is further configured to store tap probabilities in association with the clickable areas defined by the area map.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the probability calculator is configured to record frequencies of taps on the one or more UI components and determine the tap probabilities by division of each frequency of taps by a sum of the frequencies of taps.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the probability calculator is further configured to record frequencies of cancellation of the adjustment of the tap position on the at least one of the UI components.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more UI components are associated with an application, and wherein the probability calculator is further configured to associate a screen state identifier (ID) of the application with the tap probabilities, and wherein the area map DB is further configured to store the screen state ID in association with the clickable areas defined by the area map.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the screen state ID comprises a uniform resource locator (URL).

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the tap detector is configured to:

detect a first position at which a user starts a touch on the display screen;

detect a second position at which the user ends the touch on the display screen; and

determine a center of gravity for the first and second positions as the tap position.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the tap position adjustor is configured to:

identify one or more UI components that overlap with an area that encloses the first and second positions and having its center of gravity at the tap position;

calculate distance vectors between centers of the identified UI components and the tap position, the distance vectors being weighted by tap probabilities for the identified UI components; and

adjust the tap position to a center of gravity for the distance vectors.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the tap position adjustor is further configured to cancel the adjustment of the tap position in response to detection of an input to cancel the adjustment of the tap position.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more UI components are associated with an application, and wherein the application includes a web browser and the tap position adjustor includes a JavaScript module installed in the web browser.