Personal communicator having improved zoom and pan functions for editing information on touch sensitive display

• US 5,615,384 A
• Filed: 08/29/1995
• Issued: 03/25/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Johnson, Debra A. G., Lanier, Charles S., Lewis, James R., Tiller, Byron K., Villafana, William, Yee, Raymond L., Allard, David J., Canova, Jr., Francis J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowler, Alyssa H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAVIS JR, WALTER D
• Application Number:
  US08/521,333
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 395/800, 395/139, 395/157, 345/156, 345/173, 364/DIG. 1, 364/521, 364/518, 382/47, 382/8, 340/700, 340/731, 340/712
• US Class Current: 715/800
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0225 User interface arrangements, e.g. keyboard, display; Interfaces to other computer systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/56 including a user help function

Abstract

A mobile, hand-held personal communicator includes a casing for housing a cellular phone, modem, and data processing system. Graphics image files are stored and can be selectively displayed on a touchscreen display. A zoom function magnifies areas of a graphics image, such as a fax image, that has been received and stored in the PC. When the zoom function is selected, the user touches the screen, and a magnification frame or window appears. When the user removes his/her finger, the area within the frame is magnified. The user can also drag the frame around the screen, while still touching the screen, to select a specific area to be magnified when the user releases the screen. A pan function allows the user to shift the image within a viewing area. The user can pan the image by touching the display at an initial touch point, and moving his/her finger keeping it in contact with the screen, to shift the touch point to a new touch point. Upon releasing the new touch point, the image is redrawn in a new position corresponding to the change in position between the initial and new touch points.

Claims

1. A personal communicator comprising:

a casing having a size adapted to be held in the hand of a user;

a touch sensitive display mounted on said casing;

first means for displaying a graphics image on said display;

second means for displaying a magnification frame of predefined size and shape on said display and imposed on said graphics image in response to a user touching said display at a touch point with a finger, said frame being located beneath said touch point and delineating the actual portion of said graphics image to be magnified;

third means for moving said frame around said display in response to sliding said finger around said display and in contact therewith; and

fourth means for magnifying and displaying on said display said portion of said graphics image delineated by said frame, in response to disengaging said finger from said display.

2. A personal communicator in accordance with claim 1 wherein said second means is selectively actuated, and said communicator further comprises selectively actuated fifth means for panning said graphics image in response to said user touching said display with a finger at one point and sliding the finger to another point thereby indicating direction and extent of panning.

3. A personal communicator in accordance with claim 2 wherein said fifth means comprises:

sixth means for drawing a symbol on said display indicating where the user initially touched said display and for continuously displaying a second symbol beneath the finger as the finger slides to other positions; and

seventh means for redrawing said graphics image in a new position in response to a release of said display at said second symbol.

4. A personal communicator comprising:

an elongated casing of a size adapted to be held in the hand of a user;

a cellular phone mounted in said casing and including a speaker mounted adjacent one end of said casing and a microphone mounted adjacent another end of said casing;

a touchscreen display mounted on said casing and having a rectangular shape elongated in a direction similar to said casing, said touchscreen display forming a user interface for entering information into and outputting information from said communicator, said touchscreen display comprising a pressure sensitive overlay coupled with a liquid crystal display (LCD) for displaying different screens of information;

processing means mounted in said casing, said processing means being connected to said touchscreen display for receiving information entered through said overlay and outputting information on said LCD, said processing means comprising screen management means for painting different screens on said LCD, said processing means having a plurality of modes of operation including a zoom mode;

storage means for storing graphics image files;

said screen management means comprising

first means for painting on said LCD a first screen having a plurality of selectable buttons listing said graphics image files;

second means for painting on said LCD a second screen in response to a user selecting one of said selectable buttons, said second screen having a view area displaying a graphics image from a selected one of said graphics image files, and a selectively actuated Zoom tool button;

third means for switching operation to said zoom mode and displaying a magnification frame of predefined size and shape in said second screen and imposed on said graphics image in response to a user touching said overlay at a touch point with a finger, said frame being located beneath said touch point and delineating the actual portion of said graphics image to be magnified;

fourth means operative in said zoom mode for moving said frame around said screen in response to sliding said finger around said overlay and in contact therewith; and

fifth means operative in said zoom mode for magnifying and displaying said portion of said graphics image delineated by said frame, in response to disengaging said finger from said overlay.

5. A personal communicator in accordance with claim 4 wherein said frame and said view area have similar shapes, said frame having a size smaller than that of said view area and providing a predetermined magnification ratio.

6. A personal communicator in accordance with claim 5 wherein said frame and said view area have rectangular shapes, said frame being displayed on said LCD beneath the point on said overlay touched by the finger.

7. A personal communicator in accordance with claim 6 wherein said second screen further includes a selectively actuated Pan tool;

said processing means further having a pan mode of operation; and

said screen management means further comprises sixth means for switching operation to said pan mode and displaying a first symbol indicating an initial point of finger contact with said overlay, in response to a user actuating said Pan tool.

8. A personal communicator in accordance with claim 7 wherein said screen management means further comprises seventh means for displaying a second symbol at a second point on said LCD in a position displaced from said first symbol in a direction and a displacement from said initial point determined by movement of the finger on said overlay.

9. A personal communicator in accordance with claim 8 wherein said screen management means further comprises eighth means for redrawing said graphics image in a position displaced by an amount and direction determined from positions of said symbols.