Method and system for providing touch-sensitive screens for the visually impaired

• US 6,496,182 B1
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cokus, Shawn J., Reifman, Jeffrey B., Lowney, Gregory C., Wong, Peter Kam-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): MENGISTU, AMARE
• Application Number:
  US08/481,226
• Time in Patent Office: 2,750 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/123, 345/830, 178/18
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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: G09B 21/001 Teaching or communicating with blind persons G09B21/02 - G09B21/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2476 for a visually impaired user illuminating or arrangements for improving visibility of characters on dials H04M1/22

Abstract

A method and system for enabling a visually impaired user to use a touch-sensitive device. The present invention provides an interface for the visually impaired (IVI) system which enables a visually impaired user to use a touch-sensitive screen. The IVI system provides an explore mode in which a visually impaired user may determine which objects are on the touch-sensitive screen by dragging a finger over the touch-sensitive screen. In particular, the IVI system announces objects as a user touches them. For example, the IVI system announces text as it is touched and announces controls, such as buttons, as they are touched. In addition, the IVI system enables a user to execute controls. A user may execute a control, such as a button, by dragging a finger onto the control, and then, without dragging the finger off of the control, lifting the finger off of the touch-sensitive screen. The IVI system further enables a user to scroll through lists on a touch-sensitive screen. In particular, the IVI system enables a user to use a scroll thumb to scroll through a list. When a user drags a finger over the scroll thumb, and then, without dragging the finger off of the scroll thumb, lifts the finger off of the touch-sensitive screen, the IVI system enters scroll mode. In the scroll mode, a user may drag a finger anywhere on the touch-sensitive screen to scroll the list. While in scroll mode if a user again lifts their finger off of the touch-sensitive screen, the IVI system returns to explore mode.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for selecting a control region of a touch-sensitive panel from among a plurality of control regions that are touch-sensitive and a plurality of non-control regions that are touch-sensitive the control regions and non-control regions arranged in at least a two dimensional arrangement on the touch-sensitive panel with two control regions separated by a non-control region, the method comprising the steps of:

determining whether a user is contacting the touch-sensitive panel over a first control region; and

when the user has contacted the touch-sensitive panel over the first control region,

determining whether the user has terminated contact with the first control region;

when the user has terminated contact with the first control region by releasing contact from the touch-sensitive panel over the first control region, selecting the first control region; and

when the user has terminated contact with the first control region by contacting the touch-sensitive panel over a non-control region,

without selecting the first control region, waiting for the user to contact the touch-sensitive panel over a second control region; and

when the user has contacted the touch-sensitive panel over the second control region, determining whether the user has terminated contact with the second control region, and when the user has terminated contact with the second control region by releasing contact from the touch-sensitive panel over the second control region, selecting the second control region.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the touch-sensitive panel is a touch-sensitive screen and including the step of displaying an indication of each of the control regions on the touch-sensitive screen.

3. The method of claim 1 including, when the user first contacts the touch-sensitive panel over a control region, providing audio feedback indicating the user has entered the control region.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the control regions has an associated function, and including the steps of executing the function associated with the selected one of the control regions and providing audio feedback indicating execution of the function associated with the selected one of the control regions.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the user contacts the touch-sensitive panel by touching a finger on the panel and releases contact from the touch-sensitive panel by lifting the finger from the panel.

6. A method in a computer system for controlling a scroll bar, the computer system having a touch-sensitive panel with a scroll bar region, the scroll bar region having a scroll box sub-region, the method comprising the steps of:

determining whether the user is contacting the touch-sensitive panel over the scroll box sub-region;

when the user is contacting the touch-sensitive panel over the scroll box sub-region,

setting a first position of contact for the scroll box sub-region;

determining whether the user terminates contact with the touch-sensitive panel without contacting the touch-sensitive panel outside of the scroll box sub-region; and

when the user terminates contact with the touch-sensitive panel in such a way, setting a scroll mode to on; and

while the scroll mode is on,

determining whether the user has contacted the touch-sensitive panel and determining a second position of contact; and

calculating an amount to scroll based on a difference between the first and the second position of contact.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the touch-sensitive panel is a touch-sensitive screen and including the step of displaying an indication of the scroll bar region on the touch-sensitive screen.

8. The method of claim 6 including, when the user first contacts the scroll bar region, providing audio feedback indicating the user has entered the scroll bar region.

9. The method of claim 6 including, when the user first contacts the scroll box sub-region, providing audio feedback indicating the user has entered the scroll box sub-region.

10. The method of claim 6 including, when setting the scroll mode to on, providing audio feedback indicating that scroll mode is on.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the scroll bar controls the scrolling of a list of list items and including the step of scrolling the list based on the calculated amount to scroll.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of scrolling the list includes the step of providing audio feedback indicating a number of list items that are scrolled.

13. The method of claim 6 wherein the user contacts the touch-sensitive panel by touching a finger on the panel.

14. A computer-readable memory medium containing instructions for controlling a computer processor in a computer system to select a control region of a touch-sensitive panel from among a plurality of control regions that are touch-sensitive and a plurality of non-control regions that are touch-sensitive, the control regions and non-control regions arranged in at least a two dimensional arrangement on the touch-sensitive panel with at least two control regions separated by a non-control region, by performing the steps of:

determining whether a user is touching the touch-sensitive panel on a first control region; and

when the user is touching the touch-sensitive panel on the first control regions

determining whether the user has terminated touching the first control region;

when the user has terminated touching the first control region by releasing contact from the touch-sensitive panel over the first control region, selecting the first control region; and

when the user has terminated touching the first control region by is moving contact such that the user is touching the touch-sensitive panel over a non-control region,

without selecting the fist control region, waiting for the user to touch the touch-sensitive panel over a second control region; and

when the user is touching the touch-sensitive panel over the second control region, determining whether the user has terminated touching the second control region, and when the user has terminated touching the second control region by releasing contact from the touch-sensitive panel over the second control region, selecting the second control region.

15. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 14 wherein the touch-sensitive panel is a touch-sensitive screen and including the step of displaying an indication of each of the control regions on the touch-sensitive screen.

16. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 14, including when the user first contacts the touch-sensitive panel over a control region, providing audio feedback indicating the user has entered the control region.

17. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 14 wherein each of the control regions has an associated function, and including the steps of executing the function associated with the selected one of the control regions and providing audio feedback indicating execution of the function associated with the selected one of the control regions.

18. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 14 wherein the user touches the touch-sensitive panel by touching a finger on the panel and releases contact from the touch-sensitive panel by lifting the finger from the panel.

19. A computer-readable memory medium containing instructions for controlling a computer processor in a computer system to control a scroll bar, the computer system having a touch-sensitive panel with a scroll bar region, the scroll bar region having a scroll box sub-region, by performing the steps of:

determining whether the user is contacting the touch-sensitive panel over the scroll box sub-region;

when the user is contacting the touch-sensitive panel over the scroll box sub-region,

setting a first position of contact for the scroll box sub-region;

determining whether the user terminates contact with the touch-sensitive panel without contacting the touch-sensitive panel outside of the scroll box sub-region; and

when the user terminates contact with the touch-sensitive panel in such a way, setting a scroll mode to on; and

while the scroll mode is on,

determining whether the user has contacted the touch-sensitive panel and determining a second position of contact; and

calculating an amount to scroll based on a difference between the first and the second position of contact.

20. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 19 wherein the touch-sensitive panel is a touch-sensitive screen and including the step of displaying an indication of the scroll bar region on the touch-sensitive screen.

21. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 19 including, when the user first contacts the scroll bar region, providing audio feedback indicating the user has entered the scroll bar region.

22. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 19 including, when the user first contacts the scroll box sub-region, providing audio feedback indicating the user has entered the scroll box sub-region.

23. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 19 including, when setting the scroll mode to on, providing audio feedback indicating that scroll mode is on.

24. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 19 wherein the scroll bar controls the scrolling of a list of list items and including the step of scrolling the list based on the calculated amount to scroll.

25. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 19 wherein the step of scrolling the list includes the step of providing audio feedback indicating a number of list items that are scrolled.

26. The computer-readable memory medium of claim 19 wherein the user contacts the touch-sensitive panel by touching a finger on the panel.